Harbinger of Light: The Shattering
by TorNathan
Summary: Pt. I- When they thought they were done and safe, Sora and his friends are called to action once more. This time, plots grow deeper, Maleficent is back with new and very powerful allies, and trust is all our heroes will have to persevere through the growing darkness. Sora learns that friends may not give you enough strength and that he may have to dig within to find his true power.
1. Unity

_Hello everyone! Here she is!  
__My name is TorNathan! __And I'm The Unknowing Herald!_

_And we are here to present to you our Collaboration Project: **Harbinger of Light: The Shattering**_

_This is only chapter one, of part one, of what will become a massive trilogy! We will be updating once every one to two weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. This, as you already know, is a Kingdom Hearts fic! _

_Only KH1, Kh:CoM, and KH2 will be the basis for this fic. All other KH games will not be taken into account. Other Fictions may and will make appearances!_

_Disclaimer: Neither of us own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, Disney, etc. . . (Though we wish we could)_

_Rated T: Violence, Language, Adult Themes, Use of Alcohol (Most of these appear later)_

_Enjoy! Review! Have a great time!_

* * *

**Chapter I**

**Unity**

_July 12, 2010  
__Destiny Islands_

Water. Cold, refreshing, salty water. Sora let the water caress and flow around him, gently pulling him along the soft sand underneath. Water logged his shoes and weighed his bloody clothing down, straining his tired muscles. His muscles felt sore and stiff and his neck felt like it had a massive knot in it. He stretched, easing out some of the tension as he looked around, a large smile splitting his face. He was finally home and with his friends, safe and sound. A moment that could never end.

If it was one thing about Destiny Islands that he loved, it would have to be the amazing sunsets. The sun had already broken the horizon and the conflagration of deep and warm colors bursting from the horizon were awe-inspiring. As he stood up, he glanced over to Donald Duck and Goofy doing the same, smiles the same, feelings the same. On his other side was Riku giving King Mickey a hug. This lightened Sora to see his best friend finally showing feelings and happiness. They all looked at each other and out at the sunset, relishing the presence of each others' company. He punched Riku playfully in the arm, earning a small smile from him. Sora chuckled slightly when he just realized-

"Sora! Riku!"

Sora turned around to the sight of Kairi, the girl he loved. He knew this, he had for a long time now. He stared at her with a warm heart, but a cold fear deep down. Ever since they were little, he had always feared she would never love him back, and even now, that fear still held its place in his mind and heart. He may not like that, but he was always grateful to have her as a friend, and that would never change.

_Although, things have changed a lot, haven't they?_ Roxas told him, his voice resonating in Sora's mind.

_I guess._

He walked to her, leaving his other friends alone as his hand reached into his pocket and retrieved her lucky charm. In his hand was a small creation of a paopu she had crafted years ago. He remembered that moment, so long ago, where he made his promise to bring it back to her. He had spent so many nights worrying for her, and the lucky charm would always warm and assure his heart. He looked at it and approached her with an outstretched hand. She took his hand, and electricity surged through him, her tender fingers making contact with his. She took the paopu and looked him with shining, purple eyes accenting her wine red hair.

"You remembered," she said in a shy voice.

"Of course," he told her. And as if not in his control, his arms took her and embraced her in a hug. He felt shocked as he showed his emotions, yet it seemed not to bother her as she wrapped her arms firmly around his waist. They stood like that for a moment, basking in the warm glow of the sunset, unaware of their friends staring at them. Once they realized this, they broke apart, each blushing slightly.

Sora rubbed one of his arms, feeling kind of shaky at being in Kairi's presence.

_Why?_ Roxas asked.

_Why, what?_

_Why are you so afraid to be in front of her?_

_ I don't know._

_Oh, come on, man! You, of all people, shouldn't be afraid of a girl,_he retorted sarcastically.

_It's not _her_, it's her feelings I'm afraid to know. _

_Whatever, dude._

Sora stood thoughtfully, and took a deep breath, releasing the tension and nerves of his feelings of being unsure. He shrugged them off as his friends joined him and Kairi.

"I can't believe we're finally home," Kairi said in bliss. That voice was so beautiful and soothing to Sora. It always had and always will.

"I know," Riku said, moving his now long silver hair out of the way of his cyan eyes. Sora moved his own dark brown hair out of his cerulean orbs. He looked at all his friends, here on the shore with the roaring ocean. It _did_ feel unbelievable. The sun was still declining as they stood on the small play islet that nearly two years ago began this whole journey. It was far-off memory like a scattered dream.

"Oh, I can't wait to see mom and dad again," Kairi said with longing. Sora's eyes grew wide with anticipation. His mom! He had completely forgotten that he would be able to finally see his mom again. He had often worried if she would be able to make it on her own, without him or his dad. His dad had died at sea with many others in a freak storm. His body had never been found.

"Welp," King Mickey squeaked, grabbing their attention, "let's get you all back home." Everyone nodded their consent as they started slowly walking for the docks. Sora had already spotted that there were no boats. They all arrived at the dock and stopped, looking around expectantly.

"Well," he said, scratching his head, "there aren't any boats for us to go back on." Kairi shifted and looked at him, hands on her hips.

"While you and Riku were off fighting, leaving me alone," she said snappishly, but with a smile, "I did _some_ things while you were gone." She stopped talking and walked over to a small hollow in the rock facing. She moved a cascade of vines and revealed the sanded driftwood rowboats.

"I knew no one would be using these," she said patting the side of a boat, "so I had to get them out of the elements." She started to heave one of the heavy boats through the thick sand and was struggling. Sora immediately rushed to her side and began helping her, despite his screaming and burning muscles. Riku strolled up beside them and started dragging the other with no problem. Sora rolled his eyes as he and Kairi dragged the boat to the water, ending alongside Riku.

"Okay, gang. Donald, Goofy, you two are with me. Sora, Kairi, Riku in the other," King Mickey ordered them with a clap of his hands. Sora helped Kairi into the boat and then climbed in after her. He scooted very close to her, making him rather nervous, as he waited for Riku to join them. He watched as Riku looked at himself and Kairi. Riku smiled before turning away and climbing into King Mickey's boat. Riku winked at Sora before laughing as Goofy started rowing them towards the main island. Sora glared back at him. He stayed like that for a moment before realizing how close he was to Kairi and hurriedly scooting away from her, his heart racing. She giggled at him as he took up the oars and started following King Mickey.

"Sora?" Kairi asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Sora replied very quickly, feeling embarrassed at his eagerness and nervousness.

"I just wanted to-" she cut off, looking away and blushing.

"What is it, Kai?" Sora asked calmly, surprising even himself.

"I- I just wanted to say, thank you," she told him meekly. She looked at him longingly, yet shyly. He looked back, and for once thought what it must be like for her, to have a savior such as himself. And wasn't that what he was; a savior of the light, a hero for all? He had went from a normal, happy-go-lucky boy to a savior of the worlds. And here was the girl of his love, thanking him for it.

"It- it was nothing Kairi," he said dumbly, his cheeks blushing. They continued to stare awkwardly at each other and sit in silence, the ocean's waves slapping off the wood, spraying them with salt. Multiple times he tried to start a conversation with her, but he ducked out them each time.

_Wow, you're hopeless._

_ Just leave me alone about it, Roxas. . ._

_Only speaking the truth._

Sora both growled mentally and out loud at Roxas. Kairi raised an eyebrow at him and smiled at his growl. He sighed and a ignored Roxas.

"It's only Roxas bugging me," he told her as the main island's shore inched closer. She nodded her head.

"Naminé is doing the same to me right now," she explained to him, rolling her eyes, obvious that Naminé was bugging her like Roxas was him. They continued to row quietly, the only sounds being the crashing waves and the calling gulls overhead. The water, without the sun, was a blackish blue, a deep and ominous depth, full of secrets and surprises. Riku and his boat obviously reach land first, and they tied the boat up, waiting patiently for Sora and Kairi; Riku's face in a larger grin than before.

Sora hopped out into the water, now freezing cold, and pulled the boat up some more, then helping Kairi out onto dry land. He may become nervous and timid in front of her, but he was always a gentleman, a virtue his mother had taught to always honor. Kairi giggled as she allowed Sora to help her, causing him to blush and lose his nerve slightly. She removed her hand from his right before his palms began sweating. He hastily wiped them on a dry spot of his clothing and tied the boat to the peir next to the other. After that, he walked to his friends, all of whom were waiting for him.

"Okay," King Mickey said as Sora joined the group, "I will stay with Riku tonight. Donald, you stay with Sora and Goofy, you're with Kairi. Help them explain where their children have been for nearly two years now. Got it?"

Both the anthropomorphic and humans alike nodded to his orders. "In the morning," he continued, "we'll leave. I'll have Chip and Dale send a gummi ship for these coordinates." They all nodded again as the group, following Sora, went to Riku's house first, seeing as it was the closest. The islands had grown quite cold by the time the sun had finally set to now. They walked down the road in the dark, a close knit group as they made their way to Riku's house, not talking. Sounds of insects filled the air as they rounded a curve and onto Riku's street; the night was alive, fresh and crisp.

His two-story, brick home was rather large and set away from the street, surrounded by lush palms on all sides. It was no secret that his family was wealthy, and they did not care whether they flaunted this or not. Riku never did, but that did not stop his guardians, his aunt and uncle. The cobblestone path to his front door was sided with stretches of flowers and other greenery. A fountain was off to the side, bordered by benches and under a glass canopy, marble pillars supporting it. They continued up to the teak front doors and banged on them using the ornate, iron doorknockers. The rings were held in the mouth of a shark, a fitting creature for the islands. At first there was no response. Then, there were slight footsteps, the sound of a lock being unlatched, and then the slow creak as the door opened, pouring light onto them all.

At first, Riku's aunt, Lysa, just stared at them all. Then her eyes grew wide with astonishment.

"R- Riku?" she said, tears forming and her voice rising. Sora watched as Riku stepped forward, stopping just before her, a good head and a half taller than her.

"Yes, aunt. It's me," he said grabbing her and bringing her into a fierce hug. Lysa tried to overcome the shock as her frail and slim arms shakily wrapped around him. Everyone could hear her sobs, loud and spluttering. After the brief exchange of love, she wiped her eyes and looked at everyone else. Her eyes strayed onto Kairi. She walked over and gave her a hug much like Riku's. Then she looked at Sora, and she had a look of shock equal to that of when she spotted Riku.

"Oh, Sora," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Sora. This was much easier seeing how Sora was shorter than Riku. He returned the hug with love as well. Growing up she had acted like an aunt herself to him, and he had always been welcome at Riku's home. After Lysa's emotional moment, she looked at him with watery green eyes.

"You look just like Max did when he was your age," she said, referring to his father, Maximilian. He smiled down at her as she turned to look at the anthropomorphic friends.

"Come now, Lysa," King Mickey said, holding out his hand for her to take, "let me explain inside." And with that, Riku, King Mickey and Lysa entered the house, leaving everyone else outside, standing in the moonlight. Sora looked over at Kairi, and found her looking back at him. His nerves shot and he looked away, feeling dry in the mouth and shaky. They descended the stairs, walked down the cobblestone, and out onto the road, heading for Kairi's home.

They took a left turn and headed down a road, bordered by trees, shading the moonlight. They continued this way and then took a right. The came to a dead end where two houses sat side by side. On the left was Kairi's house, and on the right was Sora's. Maybe that had been part of the reason they had been such good friends growing up. They had always lived next to each other and did everything together, even talking to each other out of their bedroom windows. He walked her to her front door and knocked. They heard footsteps approach and open the door. It was Kairi's father, David, the mayor of the islands. He was a big man, rippled in knotted muscle. He had black hair and a black goatee laced with gray that shined in the moonlight.

"Daddy?" Kairi said, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Kairi?" Before anything else was said, she rushed forward and enveloped her father in a massive hug. He returned it with love, nearly picking his daughter up in the process. He took off her arms, grasped her head, and kissed her forehead. He then realized that there were more people aside his daughter.

"Who are you?" he asked Donald and Goofy.

"Goofy will explain inside, sir," Sora said, stepping a bit closer to David. Being in front of Kairi always made him nervous, let alone her father, that was also the mayor. He felt that ever present shakiness as David looked him over and finally realized who he was. David's eyes grew big and his mouth dropped.

"Sora? Is that you?" He asked, walking towards him. Sora looked up nervously up at him.

"Yes, sir," he replied, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"Now, Sora, how many times have I told you to call me by my name?" David said, taking Sora into a hug. Sora returned the hug and then looked back at him.

"Too many times, sir," he said, completely disregarding the use of his name.

"But, where have you_ been_, my son?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Like I said, sir, Goofy," he said indicating the dog-man, "will explain inside."

"Ahyuck, nice to meet ya, sir," Goofy said. "My name's Goofy," he said, shaking the mayors hand. They walked inside, much to David's confusion, closing the door behind them.

Sora sighed in both relief and desire. He still wished to be with Kairi, even if she did make him feel uneasy. Donald had already started towards Sora's house next door, leaving him on Kairi's porch. Just as he turned to go, Kairi opened the door. He stopped and turned to see her shut it, leaving them there alone. Sora looked into her beautiful purple eyes, and became lost. He found himself nowhere near as nervous than he normally would be. She stepped closer to him and hugged him, and he returned it. Calmly. He could feel her warm flesh pressed against his, and he enjoyed it. She whispered into his ear.

"Sora, thank you, so much." He broke away from her and looked her boldly in the eyes.

"You're welcome, Kairi," and he hugged her again, but briefly. She looked back at him expectantly but he never picked up on it. She just dipped her head a bit and turned to the door, opened it, and entered, closing it behind her.

_Idiot,_ Roxas muttered.

_ What?_ Sora asked in response.

_Nothing. I won't tell you. It's for you to figure out. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to talk to Naminé._

_ Wait? You can talk to Naminé?_

_ What did I just say? Yes, we can talk to each other just like we can-_

And in a flash of blue light, Roxas appeared next to him, garbed in his usual clothing from Twilight Town. He was the same Roxas, just a spectral image. Transparent and ghostly.

"Appear as our own selves, just translucent," he explained as they started walking to Sora's home. Donald was waiting patiently on the porch, which was shocking; Donald was never patient. He looked at Roxas with a bewildered look and then one of understanding.

"Ah, now I see what the King was talking about," he said in his raspy voice.

"What?" both Roxas and Sora asked at the same time, each smirking at the coincidence.

"The King told both me and Goofy that something like this could happen, I just didn't understand what he was going on about," he explained. Both the teens shrugged it away as they knocked on the door. And just like the others, his mother, Abigail, opened the door just after Roxas had vanished back into Sora's heart.

She looked at Sora for a minute, puzzled. He was letting her figure it out, trying to see if-

"Sora!" She ran forward, crushing her son in a hug, tears flowing through her loud sobs. He wrapped his arms around her, too. And for the first time since he could remember, he cried, and let it all go. He released all his emotion as he stood embraced by his mother, letting all the tears flow unstopped, bathed in the moonlight. He could not explain the feelings he was going through, but the closest thing must have been assurance. Or unity. He was so happy that they were home, finally, safe from the universe and all the problems and fear that came with it. He was finally home.

After the spout of emotions, they both stopped crying and flicked away the tears.

"Come on, baby, come inside with your friend," she said, eying Donald, who had apparently wiped away some of his own tears. Sora smirked at him, earning a funny sounding growl from the bird. Sora chuckled at him which made Donald quack loudly a few times before they shut the door.

The house was just as he remembered it. All the same furniture was there, in both the kitchen and dining room combo and the living room. Pictures hung on the walls, showing familiar faces. There were plenty of him with his mom. Plenty of him with Riku, Kairi, and all his friends from school. But there was only one of him with his dad. It was a picture of his father on his boat, and standing next to him was a six year old Sora. Sora lingered over this picture for a while before sitting down on his favorite chair in the living room. He looked around the room, remembering a simpler life and time. Donald consented himself to sitting on the end of the large couch while Abigail sat in the matching chair to Sora's right.

"So, Sora, where have you been?" Abigail asked him, after coming back from the kitchen with some tea. Sora and Donald each accepted a cup and drank eagerly, not having drank anything for a while. Donald was amusing to watch as he had to almost drink it vertically. Sora had always loved his mom's tea, and now, nearly two years later, it tasted just the same. Nostalgia was rampant. He sighed in content as he looked over at his mother. She had long black hair and green eyes. She had an angular facial structure with high cheekbones. He definitely got all of his looks from his father.

"Well, where do I begin?" Sora said. "It all began about two years ago on the night of that storm," he began.

"Kairi, Riku, and myself were building a raft. We didn't know why at first, but then we decided to leave this place, this world. So on the night of the big storm, I ran from home to secure the raft and make sure it wouldn't break. When I got to the play islet, Riku was standing by the paopu tree, looking up into a mass of darkness and chaos. I approached him." Sora tensed a little, but forced his nerves and muscles to relax as he continued the story. Donald watched quietly.

"He was _different_," he told his mother. She was watching and nodding along. She showed an initial sign of shock, but it had passed. "He looked at me and told me to open myself to the darkness. I refused, and he told me this was our chance. He told me he wasn't afraid of the darkness, but I was.

"Then, dark things were surrounding me. My wooden sword would do nothing to stop them, but then, when all seemed hopeless, I acquired the Keyblade."

"What's a Keyblade, Sora?" his mom asked confusedly. He held out his right hand and summoned the Oblivion Keyblade, a dark and fearsome blade. His mother looked at it with awe as he let it vanished into thousands of wisps of light.

"I later learned that these creatures are called the Heartless, and that they are created by the darkness in peoples' hearts. Only the Keyblade can truly vanquish them. And there is darkness in_ every_ heart, except the Princesses of Heart and Light. Kairi happens to be one." This was a lot for Abigail to take in, Sora noticed, but she was doing well, and urged him to continue.

"Well, the darkness swallowed me, and destroyed this world," he said morosely.

His mother looked at him a bit of shock when he said that the world they now lived on, was destroyed. He told her that he would explain later.

"Well, I wound up in a place called Traverse Town, and that is where I met Donald and Goofy," he told her.

"Who is Goofy?" she asked. Sora looked around, but forgot he was at Kairi's house.

"He's with Kairi, helping explain all this to her parents," Sora responded.

"Kairi's back?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, and Riku, too," Sora told her, taking another drink of his tea. His mother looked shocked even more before keeping her composure under control once more, allowing Sora to continue. He enjoyed telling her about his journeys. He enjoyed telling her all about the friends and enemies he made along the way. About all the different worlds and the dogfights taking place while getting there. She looked at him in awe of his prowess and skill, beaming at him with pride, proud of her son and what he had done. He told her all about being "junior heroes" and winning all the coliseum cups and how he had beaten even a god. He even mentioned his funny costume at Halloween Town and his transformation at Atlantica. He explained all his dealings with combat and magic and all the adventures he had with Donald and Goofy, all the way up to Hollow Bastion.

"So, I knew Riku had went bad and followed him and Kairi's unconscious form to a place called Hollow Bastion. This is where Maleficent was hiding," he said, finishing his tea. His mother rose from her seat and went to refill his and Donald's cups in conjunction with her own. Sora was reaching a critical part in his journeys and was starting to become nervous. He didn't want to tell her about what had happened at Hollow Bastion, but-

He had a sudden idea.

_Roxas?_

_ Yeah, bud?_

_ What all can you and Naminé do?_

_ Well,_ he began, _we can talk to both of you, obviously. We can talk to each other. We can talk to you in your minds even when outside your bodies, and even when we are whole._

_ Whole? _Sora asked wondrously.

_Only if touching a Keyblade,_ he explained. _Also,_ he continued, _we can communicate to each other, no matter how far we are from each other, as long as were are on the same world. Other than Naminè's memory abilities, that's essentially it. Why do you ask?_

_ Can Naminé appear over here?_ Sora asked.

_Maybe. As close as these houses are, it still is a stretch for her to "just appear". She may be able to walk over though._

_ Ask her to come over here, please. And you appear, too._

_ Okay?_

Abigail had just handed out the glasses and sat back down when Roxas appeared with a flash. If anything tonight, this is what sent Abigail over. She screamed loudly, nearly knocking over her glass as she stood up and backed away.

"Mom, calm down!" Sora exclaimed, going to her side as Roxas just rolled his eyes and plopped on the couch, leaving no indentation.

"Wh- who- what is that?" she asked, her voice faltering and her eyes frantic.

"This is Roxas, and he is my Nobody," Sora told her as he led her back to her chair. She looked at him and then back to Sora.

"What's a Nobody?" she asked.

"A Nobody," Roxas said casually, "is a being that has no heart. I am the other half of Sora's heart, and in my oh so lucky case, I get to _share_ a heart, giving me feelings for once." Roxas was very bitter about all this, but Sora presumed he would get used to it.

"I was created when Sora lost his heart to the darkness and became a Heartless himself," he concluded.

"What?" she exclaimed, looking at Sora with immense concern. He waved it off as Naminé appeared in a flash of golden light, her blonde hair flowing and dress standing still because no wind could blow it. Roxas reappeared and walked over, giving her a brief but fierce hug. She returned it before looking at Sora and his mother.

"Ah," she said, walking over brightly to Sora and Abigail, "you must be Sora's mother?"

"Yes, and are you another Nobody?" Abigail asked.

"Oh? She already has met Roxas here?" she said, giving Roxas a quirky smile. "Yes, I am Kairi's Nobody. My name is Naminé."

"Okay, mom, when we arrived at- you two can sit if you want," Sora said, cutting himself off. They did and Roxas put an arm around Naminé. She scooted in closer to him. Sora looked at them confusedly.

"You two can interact?" he asked.

"Yep, now continue, please," Naminé said nicely. Sora nodded at her before facing his mother again.

"Anyway, when we arrived at Hollow Bastion, we came across the Beast, one of our friends. He had been badly hurt by Riku. I found Riku and we talked. He told me that he was the true Keyblade's Chosen One and that I was only the delivery boy. He left be with my wooden sword and Goofy and Donald abandoned me, too." Sora looked over at Donald, who had shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Sorry, Sora," he quacked, looking sad and guilty.

"It's okay, Donald," Sora said before continuing.

"I fought Riku for the Keyblade and it was mine once again," he told her with a light heart, yet dreading what was to come. "Then we came across Maleficent."

"And she was the bad one right?" Abigail asked, trying to remember.

"Yes. We fought her two times, one being when she was a mighty black dragon. By now, we knew Riku was not himself and we followed after him," he told her.

"Has Roxas told you yet, Naminé?" Sora asked.

"Yes," she said as she stood and spread her arms. One by one, everyone in the room, even Roxas, passed into a state of unconsciousness. Sora did not want to tell his mom what had happened this day. He wanted to show her.

**HoL:TS**

_ A room. On both sides were three women each, and on the floor, the dreaded symbol of the Heartless. Sora was there, with his mom, Roxas, Naminé, and Donald. They followed the younger Sora, Donald and Goofy through the room, examining the six princesses of heart. They followed up the stairs and watched as Goofy hit an invisible barrier and fell backwards, tumbling right through them and down the stairs._

_ "Goofy!" the real Donald shouted, but the memory beings could not hear him nor anyone else. They stopped to the side as the memory Sora rushed to Kairi's unconscious body, lifting her torso and watching her head loll freely. _

_ "Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!" the memory shouted._

_ "It's no use." A voice said. Everyone looked up to the dark and possessed Riku sitting atop the Keyhole. Electricity brimmed and shot at places. Pipes spewed hot steam and the conflagration of colors swirling in the Keyhole gave the place a horrific vibe._

_ "That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up," he said nonchalantly. The memory Sora placed her back upon the cold metal floor and looked up at the memory of the possessed Riku._

_ "What? You. . . You're not Riku," he said with confusion and trepidation. The evil Riku smiled and continued. _

_ "The Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the last Princess of Heart still sleeps," he said as he vaulted off of the Keyhole and floated down with outstretched arms, blade in hand. Sora looked at him inquiringly._

_ "The Princess. . .? Kairi's a princess?" he asked. Sora thought the words nostalgia and d__éjà vu could not even begin to describe this moment as he just watched, his emotions in overload. The memory Sora stood back up and faced Riku who had just landed._

_ "Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened," Riku said as he looked down at Sora. The memory Sora stood forward a step and made a gesture with his arm._

_ "Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!" A fire burned in his eyes as the real Sora looked back at himself. He felt small pride in himself at his courage and bravery._

_ "But first, you must give the princess back her heart!" Riku shouted as he pointed the Keyblade of Heart at Sora's own heart. Light emanated around where his heart would be and pain etched across his face as he fell to his knees, clutching his chest._

_ "Sora!" the memory Donald shouted._

_ "Don't you see yet?" the memory Riku shouted angrily, walking forward. "The princess's heart it responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"_

_ "Kairi. . . Kairi's inside me?" he asked dazedly through the pain, still clutching and still on his knees. He glanced over at her limp body and the real Sora could remember all this pain like it were only yesterday. The memory Sora glanced back at Riku._

_ "I know all that there is to know," Riku said, the possessed voice ringing more loudly than before, a dark and deep voice. The voice of Ansem._

_ "Tell me! Who are you?" Sora pleaded._

_ "It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness," he proclaimed proudly as strode forward towards the two. The memory Donald ran at him but was thrown through the barrier as Riku's sword made contact with his head. Riku pointed his sword directly at Sora._

_ "So, I shall release you now, princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!" he shouted. Sora's head was bowed as Riku brought up his Keyblade, intent on murdering Sora. But then, at the last second, Kairi's voice rang through the room, shouting Sora's name._

_ "Sora!" The Oathkeeper flashed to existence and stopped Riku's blade._

_ "Forget it!" He pushed back defiantly and Riku staggered backward. Sora stood oppressively and glared at Riku, readying into a battle stance. "There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"_

_ And then the scene changed, swirling with darkness as Naminè skipped the battle with the possessed Riku. Now, Sora stood with Donald and Goofy, the Keyblade of Hearts laying on the ground. Kairi also lay on the ground, unconscious and helpless._

_ "Maybe, we gotta go wake Kairi up," Goofy told Sora. Sora turned to face her._

_ "I think you're right," he said, looking at her body. "If we can free her heart. . . But. . . but how?" he said looking around the room. Then Sora's eyes glanced to the Keyblade of Heart._

_ "A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts. . . I wonder." And with that, he nodded his head in confirmation to his own choice and started walking towards the blade._

_ "Sora?" Goofy asked as Sora picked up the Keyblade. "Sora, hold on!"_

_ "No, wait!" Donald screamed._

_ Sora stopped, looked over at Donald and Goofy, and flashed them his goofy grin. He rearranged the Keyblade in his hands. He took and plunged the blade deep into his chest, towards his heart. Blood ran down his torso from the pierce and he screamed in pain, but instantly stopped as his body died, and his heart became no more. The hearts of the Seven Princesses returned to them and Kairi finally woke up, as Sora became one with the darkness._

_ The memory came to an end and faded as Kairi woke up._

**HoL:TS**

"Oh my baby boy," Abigail said as she flung her arms around Sora, tears flowing down her eyes. "I'm so proud of you." After Abigail released her son, Sora looked over at an emotional Naminé. She returned his gaze.

"Please, Naminé, do not tell or show Kairi what I did that day," he pleaded with her. She only looked at him with reverent and watery eyes. "I want to tell her myself someday."

"Okay," was the only thing she said as she glowed and became an orb, flying towards Kairi's house once again. Everyone was looking at him with a new admiration, even Roxas.

_Wow, man. I mean, I knew what you did, but to see it. . ._

He left the thought hanging, letting Sora ponder as to just how much he cared about Kairi to go and sacrifice himself like that. After a small break, they continued the story. Naminé had restored all of Sora's memories for him about Castle Oblivion, and so they made it to the introduction of Organization XIII.

"The Organization was a group of thirteen Nobodies set out to capture the power of Kingdom Hearts for one reason: to become whole and their own persons," Roxas told Abigail. She looked at him inquiringly.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"Because I was one of them," he replied. His clothes shimmered and in their place were the original black cloaks worn by the Organization. "The Key of Destiny." Abigail looked at him with trepidation, almost on the brink of not trusting him. Sora reassured her and she calmed down. His clothes shimmered back to how they normally are.

Sora then continued to retell his second journey among the worlds in search for the King and Riku, kn owing that Kairi was safe on the islands. He told her how she was kidnapped and that the gang in Twilight Town had found her, where she was kidnapped again. He told her all about the major battles and the fight for Radiant Garden. She was very impressed with his prowess in defeating over a thousand Heartless single-handed. She enjoyed hearing about his concerts and shows in Atlantica and his transformation in the Pride Lands. Then they came to before The World That Never Was.

"We found a corridor of darkness and entered, where we found that we were greatly outnumbered by Nobodies. We fought for a while, and were about to perish when Axel showed up," Sora said.

"Axel?" Roxas asked enthusiastically. Sora looked over at him with a heavy heart.

"Yes, he saved us from all the Nobodies, but it cost him his life," Sora told him.

"What. . .?" Roxas whispered. Sora could feel his sorrow through the connection they shared. He felt immense pity for the Nobody. For Roxas.

"He told me all he wanted was to see you one last time," Sora said directly to Roxas. "He said you were the only one that ever made him feel. You were the only one who made him feel as if he had a heart."

In a flash of blue, Roxas was gone.

_Roxas?_

Silence.

Sora regained his own composure before continuing the story.

"The streets were filled with _thousands_ of Heartless and Nobodies," Sora told Abigail. He still remembered how he could barely progress through the streets to find his friends.

"Then we found Kairi." And with that he told her about Riku and his choices and how they were influenced by Ansem the Wise. He mentioned how Maleficent was fixated on controlling the Castle after Sora had killed Xemnas. And then he came to Riku and himself fighting Xemnas and his mother swelled with pride at this. She was emotionally touched at his acceptance to reality in the Realm of Darkness with Riku. He left out Kairi's poem.

"And now we're here," he said with finality. There was a tense silence in the room as he let his mother soak in all of what he had just said. She left the room and refilled their cups. When she sat back down, she fixed her son with a beaming stare.

"Sora, you will never know how proud I am of you and I know your father would be just as proud," she said as she wiped her eyes. Sora nodded humbly and sipped at his tea.

"Now," she said, "why don't you go up to bed and you can see all your friends tomorrow, okay?" Sora nodded and went to the kitchen, leaving his cup in the sink. Donald would be sleeping in the living room as he ascended the stairs to his bedroom for the first time in almost two years. He opened the door and it swung open on oiled hinges. His room was still the same way it had been before he left, except it was clean. Apparently, his mother had cleaned it regularly in his absence. He looked in his closet and noticed all his clothes were to small, and thought about how he would have to go shopping for more.

For now though, he just changed into his boxers, climbed into his old bed and almost immediately fell asleep.

**HoL:TS**

_July 12, 2010  
__I'ltorien_

The stones shifted loosely under her feet as she ran up the slope, the sounds of screaming and explosions resounding behind her. Her chest heaved for oxygen as she continued to run. She would stumble here and there and scrape her knees on the rough stone; her bare feet were already torn asunder. Another explosion rocked the outer wall and sent debris in all directions. A small piece nicked her calf and she felt the slow trickle of warm blood run down. The screaming grew louder and she did not want to think of how many were dying. She ran as the stones shifted. Oh so loosely, like the fragments of her mind.

She collapsed on the ground, her hair splaying all around her head as she lay on the mountain side trail, trying to regain her breath and stop the stitch in her side. She felt like someone was driving a knife into her ribs and like she had swallowed fire. She rolled on her side and watched the fires engulf barracks of the city. Black and oily smoke billowed in the sky.

The initial explosion had rocked the prison and blown a chunk out of it. A piece of debris had broken her cell door and she took the opportunity to escape. She had lived all her life between those cold, lifeless walls that encompassed every room of the facility. Not a day had passed without her wanting to escape from it all. The rigorous, tortuous training, if you could even call it anything else than torture, the ceaseless experiments they conducted on every soldier kept her awake at nights, not just because she knew what they were going through, having gone through much worse herself, but because she knew that every scream that stopped could have been in tandem with the person's heart. They were his weapon, and she was tip of the spear, always being sharpened, always being tempered. She had tried to escape once, and it had cost her a friend. They wouldn't dare kill her. Defile her? Yes. Break her and her will? Absolutely, it was their goal for every soldier. But kill her? Never. She was far too valuable to them. Locked her in a cage they had. Prevented her from reaching any of the people she once talked to. That had been one year ago. She felt guilty at being so relieved as hundreds lost their lives, but… she was free!

When she had pushed the cell door, it had nearly fallen off. No one was really paying attention though as she stole out of the prison. Fire. That was the first thing she had seen. Black smoke engulfing the streets and people running all about, adding to the chaos. She had tripped over a body. When she looked back at it, half the face had been burned away and large shards of glass adorned it like a pincushion. Blood ran through the streets as she ran wildly, looking for a hole in the outer wall, her feet becoming ribbons.

She got her reprieve when another big explosion blew near the barracks. Half the barracks were demolished along with a good chunk of the outer wall, and she did not hesitate. She ran through the alleys and streets, making her way to the hole. She avoided falling beams of wood and tried her best not to run on broken glass or splintered wood. She saw one of the soldiers that had tortured her. No. Worse. One of the ones that had been broken to _his_ will. His eyes were big and frantic. Scared. She ran by, triggering something in his mind. He tried to grab her. He wanted to take her back in. What a hefty reward he'd have, if she hadn't simply twisted his arm, shifting his weight sidewards, sending him rolling through the destroyed floor and into a wall. Unconscious, he could do nothing as a beam crushed his head. She gasped, the knowledge that she had just caused another being… somewhat like her to vanish forever. There was no time for it though. Regret would come later. Survival came first. She only wished her only friend had been safe from the brunt of the attack.

She scrambled through the hole and broke into a run.

Her vision blurred from the blood loss as she ran. She just became sleepier and sleepier. Before she knew it, she hit a rock and ate dirt. Hope that they would find her was the only thing burning inside her right now… unless it was to bring her back. She'd rather die right there and then than ever going back. Minutes passed as slow as hours, only the screams of hundreds and the fire crackling on the horizon filling her ears. Was she going to die here?

"Hey! I can see someone!" she heard, followed by swift footsteps. "Is it… _her_? By the gods… it IS her!"

**HoL:TS**

_July 14, 2010  
__Destiny Islands_

Sora sat on the paopu tree with Kairi and Riku on Wednesday morning. The previous day, King Mickey and the others had left for Disney Castle after the three families had met and talked about what their children had told them. All in all, they were grateful, proud and relieved that they were finally home. Sora was enjoying being back, and today was his day with Kairi and Riku. Yesterday had been a family day. The day was already starting to warm up and right now, this moment, his life was perfect.

"Not much has changed, has it?" Riku asked Sora as Kairi ran off towards the shoreline.

"Nope," Sora said. And that was good thing. Riku flicked his hair as they continued to talk about their lives, both past and future.

"Sora! Riku!" They both turned around to see Kairi running at them, holding a topped bottle. She finally reached them and handed it to Sora. He glanced in and saw a scroll, King Mickey's seal adorning it.

"The King?" he asked in shock as he pulled off the top and pulled it out, unfurling it.

"Well what is it?" Kairi asked, trying to look over his and Riku's shoulders. Sora cleared his throat, getting ready to read it all to them.

_ Dear Sora,_

_ I know you have only just arrived home, but I need you again. This time, it will not be so serious and not nearly as long. Or at least I hope it won't. I need you, Riku, and Kairi to come to Disney Castle whenever the gummi ship arrives, which will be sometime on Friday. Take the next couple days to have fun and see your friends and family. If all goes well, you should be back home within a month or two. Thank you all._

_ With love,  
__King Mickey_

Sora sighed as he put the letter in the bottle and let it fall to the ground. Already, the universe needed him again, but this time, he was going with Riku and Kairi. This time he could focus on the job at hand. But was Kairi ready? He didn't know if she was ready to deal with the denizens of darkness yet, or how well she would fight them.

"Well, this sucks," Riku said in exasperation as he leaned back against the tree, his feelings evident. Sora closed his eyes, gathered his thoughts, and looked at him.

"From the letter," he began, "it's apparent that King Mickey isn't all that worried about whatever it is, and he just needs us. It won't be that bad, especially when we're going to be together."

Riku looked back at him and smiled. "It still sucks." He shoved off the tree and started walking towards the piers.

"Where are you going?" Kairi shouted after him. He turned around and continued walking backwards. "To go tell my aunt and uncle!" he shouted back. Sora and Kairi waved him off as he got in his boat and went to the main island.

"We better do the same," Sora said to her. She nodded and he started walking over the bridge. He noticed that she wasn't following. He walked back to her.

"What is it, Kai?" Sora said to her. She looked back at him solemnly. He could detect the slightest trace of fear in her eyes.

"I don't want us to leave again," she said.

"I know Kai," he told her. He placed a placating hand on her shoulder. "We have to for the King. He needs us."

"Well, why can't he ask someone else?" she exclaimed, on the verge of tears. Sora swallowed the lump in his throat and looked her in the eyes. Truth was always the best option.

"Because there is no one else."

* * *

_Well, we really hoped that you enjoyed our first chapter! It has been a while since we agreed to work together and now it is finally in motion!_

_Make sure to check back for updates on part one!_

_Leave us reviews! We would love to hear you thoughts and criticisms!_

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

The Unknowing Herald  
TorNathan


	2. Farewell

_Well here she is, le chapter 2! _

_Some notes:_

_The Unknowing Herald (TUH): What? I get to have my very own note now? Why thanks Tor, I thought I was your slave there for a second! Well guys, just here to remind ya, this IS a co-op fic so… hello to all that made it this far! It means you are interested enough to actually continue reading the fic, so I hope you have a blast. I'll see you by the end of the chapter!_

_TorNathan (TN): Well, you're welcome, Herald. Anyway, the same thing here, in addition I would like to say my stories are in hiatus right now. I have shifted my entire attention to this. That's pretty much it._

* * *

_TN: So, Herald, what do you think about she turned out?_

_TUH: I'm just glad I got called up here. That and that you got the right chapter two._

_TN: Well, I couldn't leave out the other half of the story. . . again. And you're still harping about that?_

_TUH: That or the death threats finally reached your mailbox._

_TN: Well, so do you enjoy my room's view? All those roses. . ._

_TUH: Tor. Chapter. Now._

_TN: Oh, yeah. . . Haha_  
_TN: Anyway, shall I do the disclaimer, or you?_

_TUH: Whatever, if someone thinks I own the rights to any Square related stuff, they totally don't know who I'm a fanboy of. So yeah, I don't own any of that stuff... yet._

_TN: Well, here it is, chapter 2, enjoy. Right, Herald?_

_TUH: Just hope they leave reviews, since someone thinks 8 reviews in a chapter is anything less than mindblowing_

_TN: . . ._

* * *

**Chapter II**

**Farewell**

_July 16, 2010  
__Destiny Islands_

Sora felt the hot rays of the sun strike his face, burning his eyes as he lay in bed, sleeping the morning away, only until the oppressive rays forced him awake. He rolled his face away from the heat and let out a long yawn. His clock read 9:00 am and he let his head plop into the mattress, not wanting to get up. Today was his last day on the Islands for who knew how long. All day yesterday he had hung out with Riku, Kairi and some of their other friends like Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. Forgetting all about the world order, Sora had explained everything to them, and now, all the other teens knew. Soon, their whole part of the island was bustling with the news of Sora and his adventures. All of his friends, in readying for his departure, had organized a big going away party. Kairi, Riku, and himself were the guests of honor and it was to be a full day of food, sport, and fun. There would be a blitzball match today and he was eager to play it again, even if he wasn't as good as Tidus, not that he'd ever admit that to him.

He yawned again and stretched, relaxing his stiff muscles from their sleep. His hands rubbed his eyes and he turned on his side, looking out the window into the morning day. It looked to be a great day. Not a cloud in his namesake. See what he did there? He lay there and thought of Kairi. His heart swelled and his stomach did tumults, that butterfly sensation. The party was planned to be at the school blitzball stadium. There would be food and drinks, sports, a big match and loud music. Then at nighttime, there would be a massive bonfire on the beach, along with music and food meant for roasting (your average smores and hot dogs). He thought about sitting with Kairi, watching the fire, the soft music in the background, the twinkling night sky. To see the stars reflected in those eyes, his heart soared. Maybe, just maybe, he would not be nervous or shy in front of her.

"Tonight, Kairi," he barely whispered.

"What was that?" a voice asked, a hand grabbing him in the side. He let out a small scream as his heart crash-landed from its flight in fear. He turned around hastily, and his nerves skyrocketed. Kairi was right next to him, already dressed in a pink tank top and white short shorts. She had some white sandals on her feet and a beautiful smile on her face. Sora's heart was doing a drum roll and his breathing was sharp and quick. He steadily calmed himself.

"K- Kairi," he began, "what're you doing in here?"

"The party started half an hour ago, you lazy bum," she said with a wink, using her favorite nickname of his. She sat down on the bed with him. He smiled at that and sat up, the blanket falling from his frame, exposing his naked torso. He closed his eyes and stretched again, tensing and contracting his toned muscles. He never saw Kairi glance over them, a gleam in her eyes. In all of his nervousness, this didn't bother him. In all the past years leaving on a beach, he had been topless a lot, and so this was regular with him. He stood up, dressed in some pajama pants, and walked to his closet, extracting his clean adventuring outfit. He thought to himself, _Maybe Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather can give me some new clothes._

_Yeah, those are reaching their limit,_ Roxas said with a yawn.

_Are- are you tired? _Sora asked incredulously.

_I just woke up. Naminé wouldn't stop talking to me._

_ You can sleep? How does that even-_

_Yep, now be quiet so we can talk._

Sora stopped talking to Roxas as he walked to his door, about to head to the bathroom for a shower. Just then, he noticed that Kairi was still sitting on his bed. He looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.

"Kai, are you coming?" he asked with a small laugh. Now he noticed her staring at his torso.

"Sora, you never told me. . ." She left the sentence hanging.

"What?" he asked.

She approached him and he became nervous again. She walked right up to him and placed a hand on his chest. He let out a slight shudder as her cool fingertips ran across his chest, grazing over a particularly long scar. He sighed in revelation as he thought about that moment. He not only saved Kairi that moment, but he also earned a long and rigid gray scar. After that she began to notice all the others. They were mainly small, pink and very faint, almost not there, but if you were to look carefully, you would find quite a lot. Here and there you would find larger ones, but only a few of them. They were all mementos, souvenirs, tokens of appreciation, left by the Heartless. Sora had never thought about it, but they could have been symbols of his love.

For her.

"Sora," she whispered. She looked up at him.

"Kairi?" he said.

"Is this because of me?" she asked, placing her soft hand against his chest, rigid and hard muscle, scarred by that one laceration. Her fingertips brushed the cold steel of his pendant that he never took off. He looked at her. Honesty was always the best.

"Yes." He did not expect her to do anything about it, because nothing could be done. But what he _really_ didn't expect was for her to hug him. Her arms wrapped around him, and he felt her tender skin bump over those very tiny scars on his back. His heartbeat quickened and his nerves started losing some control. He didn't know what to do, so he returned the hug as she laid her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on hers. They both smiled radiantly, though neither one saw it. After a few moments, it ended, and they broke away. He was blushing madly as he looked to her face. She wasn't at all, and that made his face even redder. He looked away from her as he walked to the bathroom, leaving her there alone.

The bathroom was cold and pale. He placed his clothes and a towel he had grabbed onto an outlying shelf. He reached over, turned the water onto a nice steaming hot, and undressed. He climbed in and let the hot beads of water roll down his face and neck, ending at his feet. His hair fell down as the gel rinsed out and he had to flip it out of his way, seeing as it was rather long without the gel. Water bounced off his pendant and splashed off the ceramic of the tub. He grabbed some if his shampoo that had lasted over the past couple years of his absence, and lathered his hair. He began to sing a poem that was embedded into his heart and soul.

_Thinking of you, wherever you are.__  
__ We pray for our sorrows to end,__  
__ and __hope that our hearts will blend.__  
__ Now I will step forward to realize this wish.__  
__ And who knows:__  
__ starting a new journey may not so hard__  
__ or maybe it has already begun.__  
__ There are many worlds,__  
__ but they share the same sky-__  
__ one sky, one destiny._

The bathroom rang with the sound of splashing water and Sora's smooth and tenor rich voice. He had never thought himself as a good vocalist, but he was. As the poem came to an end, he began washing his body, his heart aching.

**HoL:TS**

_Thinking of you, wherever you __are.__  
__ We pray for our sorrows to end,__  
__ and hope that our hearts will blend.__  
__ Now I will step forward to realize this wish.__  
__ And who knows:__  
__ starting a new journey may not be so hard__  
__ or maybe it has already begun.__  
__ There are many worlds,__  
__ but they share th__e same sky-__  
__ one sky, one destiny._

Was his voice really that beautiful? Kairi stood outside the bathroom door, listening to Sora sing the poem she had written so long ago. Well, it wasn't really too long ago, but it felt like forever. Something about him singing that particular piece made her want to cry. Not out of sorrow or angst, but joy and longing. Over the past years, she had struggled to understand what it was she felt about him. She had always had this crush on him. She would eye him without him knowing, and would dream about going to dinner with him or even a magnificent ball, if only the Islands would hold those. But now, after the past two years, maybe something else was growing. Maybe her crush was developing, evolving into something more. As his voice continued in her mind, though he had actually stopped, she thought about it, and maybe love was actually starting to grow, even if it only had a hold. It would grow, she surmised, and she would love him from afar.

_Why?_ Naminé asked.

_Why, what?_ Kairi countered.

_Why would you love him from afar?_

_ Because he doesn't feel the same way about me._

_You don't know that,_ Naminé said.

_Well, suppose he did. Wouldn't he have done something by now?_ Kairi asked.

_Well,_ Naminé began, _you both just got back. __He hasn't had the time._

_ No, Naminé. He has had a little over a decade now to express or say _anything_ about his feelings. He could even tell me that he doesn't love me. But he hasn't._

Naminé kept silent. Whether she was thinking of a counter or if she was just defeated, Kairi would never know.

_Also, look at everything he's done for you._

_ He did that for Riku, too._

_Okay. . . He just sang your poem._

_ At the time, that poem was his only light in the dark. Of course it would have some effect on him, no matter who it was written by._

_Urgh! Kairi. . ._ Naminé sounded rather annoyed and it set Kairi a little off kilter. She stood there and realized that the water had stopped flowing. She suddenly became nervous as she hurried down the stairs and into his living room. Abigail was doing something in the kitchen, so she just sat and waited.

_Also, _Kairi continued,_ don't you notice how he acts around me when we're alone together?_

_No._

_He acts a lot differently. Unsettled is the best thing I can describe it as._

_Ever thought that he was just nervous?__ You know, the thing you usually feel when you have something special to say to a special someone?_

_ Nervous isn't right. I just _know_ that he doesn't feel the same way about me._

They stopped their conversation when they heard the bathroom door close. Sora's footsteps thundered down the staircase and he came into view. He was in his normal adventuring clothing, some rips here and there. But aside from that, he looked marvelous. She loved his smile, always had and always will. That and those perfect white teeth behind it. His hair was always different from everyone else, but she absolutely adored it. She took a deep inhale as he approached her and could smell his cologne. _That_ was something she could lose herself in, that and those dreamy cerulean eyes. He was damn near perfect, and he couldn't be hers.

**HoL:TS**

Sora descended the stairs, just after cleaning up and gelling his hair. He had put his favorite cologne on and was ready for a great day. There she was, sitting by herself and looking rather confused and almost sad. The girl he loved, sitting right there before him, the two of them together, alone. She had put a bit of makeup on today. Her rosy red cheeks nearly matched her luscious red hair. And her purple eyes accented her face, his heart rolled. She smiled at him and flashed pearly white teeth. He offered out his hand to her, and she took it, allowing him to help her to her feet. Her soft skin met his rough hands and he felt electricity spate through his nerves. He breathed in, and she was wearing her cherry blossom perfume. He exhaled in euphoria. Aside from these things she had an amazing body and he fought his hormones at seeing her in that short pink skirt, garbed with the rest of her own adventuring outfit. She was damn near perfect, but he was too shy to do anything about it.

"Ready, Kai?" he asked as they opened his door, heading out into the sun. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Yep," was her only and simple reply. He nodded as they walked onto the road and headed for the high school blitzball stadium. The sun was bearing down a harsh heat, so Sora took off his jacket, leaving him in his black t-shirt. This was hardly any better. He slung it over his shoulder as they walked in silence, the only sound being the booming music that was steadily growing louder as they neared the stadium. The parking lot was crowded with people and tents. Not many cars were here, seeing as it was an outdoor event and most everyone lived in a walking distance. People, mainly students and their families, bustled here and there, buying food from stands, buying trinkets and oddities from other stands. A lot was happening, all for Sora, Kairi, and Riku.

Sora noticed that there were even some carnival sideshow games, classics like knocking over the pins with a baseball. Kids were having fun at the next door park where inflatables were up and little ones were jumping and screaming. Water slides and sprinklers were also set up in the park. The sounds of the blitzball sphere being readied were heard under the babble, a deep whirring sound followed by the occasional splash or splosh. He entered the stadium, being one of the guests of honor, where it was much less crowded. Some of his friends (all those who had arranged it) and their families were here, including Riku.

Sora strode over to him while Kairi left him to talk with Selphie. He wrapped his jacket on the back of a chair and looked up at Riku.

"How are you feeling?" Sora asked. Riku sat down in a chair and placed his face in his hands. After a couple moments, during which Sora sat down as well, he lifted his head and looked Sora sternly in the eyes.

"I don't know," he responded. Sora looked back at him and saw something waver in Riku's demeanor. Sora felt pity for his best friend, though he didn't know why.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, scooting closer to him. Riku shifted in his chair and sighed.

"What I mean is, what if on this mission for Mickey, I lose control again and mislay myself to the darkness?" he asked, his voice almost tinged with fear. Sora understood him. On more than just one occasion, Riku had handed himself over to the darkness, both for Maleficent and Ansem, even to where he took Ansem's appearance. Sora sighed and looked at him more intently, leaning forward.

"Riku, you are going to be with me and Kairi. Nothing bad is gonna happen. Be more happy and cheerful. We'll always win and everything will always be okay!" Sora told him, leaning back and reclining, locking his hands behind his head.

"Are you sure?" Riku asked him beneath that long hair.

"Yes. Besides, you have the extraordinary Sora here to keep you safe from the evil dark stuff!"

Riku nodded and stood up, regaining his usual disposition. "Well, I know one thing for sure though," he began. Sora looked at him as he also rose.

"My team's gonna destroy yours today," he said with a smirk. Sora glared at him and smiled.

"No you're not. We have both Wakka _and_ Tidus. How can you beat that?" Sora said, crossing his arms.

"We will," he replied calmly, walking away. Sora brushed it off as he walked over to the end of the stadium, glancing up at the scoreboard. Right now it had the two teams listed off, both without their team names. On Sora's side, there was Tidus, Wakka, Lucy and Sophia. On Riku's side there was Morgan, Robin, Jake and Catherine. Sora thought his chances were good, the teams being stacked heavily in his favor. It was approaching to afternoon as he walked around and talking to numerous people, usually his friends that wanted to know all about his journeys. It was tedious explaining it all, even in brisk and low detail, but they were all in awe nonetheless. He found a group of some of his friends that had organized this entire event, all of which were playing in the blitzball match here soon. There was Jake, Morgan, Robin, Lucy, Sophia and Catherine.

"Oh, hey Sora!" Sophia yelled over to him as he walked towards them. Sophia was a few years older him, just turning nineteen last month. She was Selphie's older sister, though she looked nothing like Selph. She had black hair with white streaks through it that fell to her shoulders and startling green eyes. She was as tall as Sora and every guy was always drooling over her and her body. Sora had never thought about her like that because his love was always focused on Kairi. All the teens were wearing matching outfits (black shorts with a white tee emblazoned with a logo supporting the party). Sora glanced at the logo on the shirt. It read: Party for the Worlds and Their Saviors. It also had black silhouettes of what was supposed to be himself, Kairi and Riku.

"Sora," Sophia said amused in fake ire, "my eyes are up_ here_." She pointed to her face with a finger before laughing and crushing him in a hug.

"Thanks, Soph," Sora said, returning the hug. Jake walked up and put an arm around Sophia. She giggled and looked at him before looking back at Sora. Jake was a burly senior with very short blue hair and matching aqua eyes. He had a scar under his chin caused by his now dead father. No one ever mentioned his dad. It wasn't because he was deceased, but because of the horrid memories it would well within Jake. Sora thought that there more than that single scar.

"Better watch how friendly you get with my girl," Jake said with his own smile, taking his arm off Sophia and grasping Sora in a hug. "It's great to have you back, man."

"It's great to be back, for now," Sora replied.

Morgan sat down in a shaded chair and looked up at Sora. "Looking forward to the game?" he asked. Sora looked down at the younger boy. He was thirteen and small for his age. It was known he was adept at blitzball because his size made him naturally faster than others, but he was more likely to get hurt. The youth moved his brown hair out of his brown eyes.

"I'm always excited about winning," Sora said brashly. Everyone laughed as Lucy stood next to Sora, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Other than Tidus and Wakka, they have me," she said with a wink. She had never played blitzball before, but wanted to for whatever reason. Sora looked as she hugged him and ran off to talk with another girl, her very dark brown hair cascading over her bare, dark shoulders in comparison. Sora shook his head bemusedly. Sora looked over to see Robin and Catherine break apart from a kiss. Catherine's cheeks flushed a deep red to match her short hair as she looked bashfully away, averting her stark blue eyes. Robin only chuckled as she swept back his disheveled and long black hair, revealing his pink irises. That was a quality that set him apart from everyone. How many people did you ever come across with pink eyes? Both the seventeen year olds were blushing.

"Maybe I won't have to worry about you two if you keep this up. Riku might knock some sense into you," Sora said as Morgan chuckled. Sophia laughed as Robin's face blared red. Sora was just about to catch up with Robin, a good friend of his aside from Riku and Tidus, when the intercom blared through the speakers, alerting everyone inside and outside. It was Kairi.

"All players into today's game are to go to their respective locker rooms and discuss their strategies. Admittance, which is free, to the stadium will be in half an hour."

Kairi repeated the message before the soft static and fuzz of the speakers was cut off. Babble broke into a new intensity outside the stadium as well as inside. Sora huffed as he and Sophia started walking to the locker room. They met up with Lucy on the way there. Sora opened the door for the girls, and they giggled at his gesture. He only gave them his goofy grin before following them in. Before he could however, a hand grabbed his shoulder. It was Kairi.

"Hey, Sora?" she said to him, her feet twisting on the spot as she fingered her hair. Sora knew her enough to know that this was a sign of her nervousness.

"Yeah, Kai?" he replied.

"It doesn't mean anything, but I'll be rooting for you while I commentate, okay?" she told him. This threw Sora off guard and he found himself feeling timid in front of her again.

"Th- thanks Kai," he replied. "I'll win it for you." She smiled at him and blushed before turning away and walking to the press box. Sora's breathing returned to normal and he felt fine after a few minutes. He opened the door and walked into the locker room. Being a guy after all, the first thing he saw was a vivid pink bra.

Sophia threw her shirt into a locker and this earned a wolf whistle from Tidus. Without looking she threw up her hand and flipped him off. This got laughs from everyone, including Tidus as they all began to strip and change. The girls were done before the guys. They turned and saw Tidus in his briefs. Their eyes glanced at this particular area and back up to his red face. It was Sophia's turn as she wolf whistled and locked in Tidus' embarrassment. He quickly changed into his gear before Lucy let out a gasp of shock. Sora had removed his shirt and now their eyes had locked onto his scars, predominantly the one above his heart. After a barrage of questions and concerns, he was finally able to quiet them down so he could finish changing. He walked to the end of the room and brought back with him the mobile blackboard. He removed a nub of chalk from the tray and drew the sphere.

"Okay, plan," Sora began. "First of all, since there are only five of us instead of the regular six, we will need two strong fielders to make up for the loss of the third. Who is our fastest?" All eyes glanced at Tidus (his face this time) and he sighed.

"Okay, what's my main objective?" he asked in defeat. Sora looked at him sternly. Aside from Riku and Kairi, Tidus might as well have been another best friend.

"I will be the other fielder alongside you. You have always been the better shot, so always be on the lookout for me should I have the ball. I'll give a signal. . ." he did a motion with his left arm, "to let you know it's coming your way. This is a two period game, so we will change the signal each half." Tidus nodded in comprehension as he leaned back next to Lucy, stretching his arms and relaxing them. She looked over at him with a wink as she leaned back next to him.

"Okay, Wakka," he said, looking at the senior. "You are to be right defender, seeing as you are both powerful and as tough as iron," Sora said. Wakka nodded and rose from his seat. He walked a bit to the side and began doing pushups to prepare his muscles.

"Lucy, you'll be the left defender, got it?" Sora asked. She, too, nodded.

"That leaves me as the goalkeeper, correct?" Sophia asked.

"Wakka, get over here," he said. Wakka obeyed and sat down gruffly. "Okay, now let's talk strategy and moves."

**HoL:TS**

"The stadium is now ready for admittance!" Kairi's voice boomed, trailing over the sea of people. There was a sudden rush as people swarmed the gates, crowding to get in and find a good seat upfront. These people weren't afraid to get a bit wet. Kairi cut off the mic as she leaned back in her cozy chair next to her co-commentator, Selphie, her best girlfriend. They were lounged in a room, cool from the air conditioning, and they had a table of refreshments courtesy of Abigail. They both sipped on some ice tea, but quickly finished.

"Hey Kairi," Selphie said.

"What?" Kairi replied, looking over at her. Kairi's mind had been on what Sora had said to her. _I'll win it for you._ It made her heart swell a bit, but he had only said it to her because they were best friends, nothing more.

"I have an idea to make this more fun!" she said, reaching around the table. Kairi heard the rustling of a bag and she reappeared holding a bottle of. . . was that—

"Wine?" Kairi asked, lucky that the mic was off. She stared at her friend of only just having turned sixteen. This look was one of shock, but intrigue.

"Yeah," she said as she found the corkscrew. "I swiped it from mom's cabinet. She has so much that she'll never know." Pop! There went the cork. "how about it, Kai?"

"I- I don't know Selph," she said cautiously. She had never had alcohol before. She had seen what it did to Sophia, who was only seventeen, and it looked like it had some bad effects. She was nervous, but it would be her last day with Selphie in a long time. She turned it over in her mind before deciding.

"I'll have a bit, but not too much. I don't want to end up like Sophia," she said with laugh. Selphie procured a couple of wine glasses a poured them each a bit. She handed over the glass and took a sip of her own. She let out a giggle and place the glass down, readying her own mic. Kairi looked at her glass with trepidation. She smelled it and the aroma was bittersweet. It was aged. She took a sip and her tongue exploded in a frenzy of different reactions. Her faced scrunched at the initial taste, a bitter thing. Then, it eased into a strong sweetness and she enjoyed it. She took another sip that was not nearly as bad and giggled along with Selphie. The teams had five minutes left.

**Hol:TS**

"I can't wait to finally hand Riku's rear on a silver platter to him! I don't care how good he thinks he is at Blitz, I don't care how much he whooped me when we were kids, this time he's going doooown baby!" Sora exclaimed, his excitement being a little too easy to spot while he warmed up in the locker room. Well, it was quite impressive how he could do so many squats that fast and always talking to himself over them, but his teammates weren't exactly happy for it.

"Yo Sora, save some of that for the game, ya?!" Wakka exclaimed, stopping him forcefully as the time for the blitz-off neared. Sora scuffed and was about to make his case, but even Tidus joined the conversation now.

"He's right you know? Just because you have us on your team doesn't mean it's gonna be easy peasy," he told Sora, crossing his arms. "We all practiced Blitz on the islands, especially guys, which they have more of by the way, and to make it worse they have Morgan. He may be young and small but he can really play and he's one hell of a goalie. I can barely score a goal against Morgan. We have a very good offense, but Lucy and Sophia aren't the best defenders, nor players. We're equally matched, we just have the best AND the worst. No offense girls."

"None taken," they replied in unison. The two girls didn't hide how they only did Blitzball for fun, so they had no problem with not being on the same level as the other guys and gal. Lucy winked at him and said, "Besides, I can make it up with something else," she said. Tidus just kind of stared at her before it dawned on him.

"Fine. It's time already, so let's get to the stadium!" Sora exclaimed in all of his cheerful glory. He wanted, above all else, to have Kairi see him beat Riku at. . . anything. Okay, he was technically and arguably better with the Keyblade, but that hardly compensated for Mr. Perfect Riku overshadowing him on all else for their entire lives.

"Alright guys, team hug!" Tidus proclaimed, opening his arms, the whole group joining in. "Let's Blitz guys!"

**HoL:TS**

The team captains had just entered the room.

"Kairi, are you drinking wine?" Sora asked coyly as he walked over to her. He took her glass and took a large drink. He shook his head as the alcohol took effect. Kairi looked up at him in shock and trepidation. He looked back at her with that boyish grin of his.

"It's okay, Kai. That was my first time ever having alcohol, too," he explained. Riku chuckled at them.

"Okay, team names?" Selphie asked, taking a sip of wine. She looked at Riku first.

"Dākuraitoningu" he said to her, then, "Dark Lightning." She nodded at him before writing it all down, he left without another word.

"I'm so going to kick his ass today," Sora said as he drain the rest of her glass. Her heart did leaps at seeing him act like this. It was these special little nuances of his that she loved. Kairi looked up at Sora and became lost in those eyes. She saw his lips move, but heard nothing.

"Kairi?" No response, only those eyes.

"Kairi!" Selphie screamed at her. This brought her back to reality. She cleared her thoughts and looked back to Sora.

"So what was the name?" He only looked at her, chuckled and grinned, before leaving. She turned and looked a little embarrassed. Selphie laughed at her, before switching on the mics. They looked to each other and nodded. Kairi took in a breath and began her job.

"Welcome one and all to today's game!" The crowd cheered and romped on the stands of the amphitheater. Noise-makers sound, toy horns were blown, people stomped and yelled. This wasn't even a league game and they were this excited. Why? She and Sora had been wrong to think it was only their part of the island here today. It looked like everyone from all the islands were here, and boy was it going to be a helluva game!

"Hello, I'm Kairi. And I'm Selphie," they both announced. "And we will be your commentators for tooooooday," they said simultaneously. The northern locker room opened, and Dark Lightning entered the stadium.

"From the north entrance are the strong and hot Riku, Catherine's man and hot-headed Robin, little yet truculent Morgan, Sophia's man Jake (can't wait to see that tension) and Catherine, or in other words. . ." Selphie took a deep breath and shouted, "Dākuraitoningu! Dark LIGHTNING!" Half the crowd erupted in cheers, the obvious fans of Riku's team. Girls squealed in delight as he walked by them. He smiled at one and continued into the metal sphere surrounding the water. This is where blitzers would immerse themselves in immensely dense and humid air, preparing them for the sphere.

The southern gates opened and here came Sora and his team. The crowd burst into cheers, even the fans of Riku. Sora waved at them with his goofy grin and walked with a cocky stride. He could be so immature, but Kairi loved that about him. She readied herself and began.

"And from the south entrance we have Master Sora, legend and son of even more legendary Jecht, Tidus, man from the Aurochs Wakka, mother of the jungle Lucy, and very pretty as always and Selph's older sister Sophia, or in other words. . ." and like Selphie she took a deep breath and shouted—what was the name? Selphie handed her a piece of paper with the name on it. She shouted, "Unmei no hi! Destiny's FIRE!" Destiny's Fire entered the sphere. A hush fell over the crowd, the only sound being the whir of the sphere and the hollowed voices emanating from within.

"Ready to have your ass handed to you, Sora?" Everyone heard Riku's voice amplified and a loud oooooohh resounded from the crowd.

"Just you wait Riku, I thought I'd have made you realize just how different I am now!" Sora exclaimed, amid to the reaction from the crowd.

"Yeah! You tell 'em Sora!" Kairi exclaimed from the box and into the mic, perking Naminé's interest.

_Way to make it obvious. . ._ her Nobody teased, earning the mental equivalent of an elbow to the gut from the teen.

Suddenly, the metal sphere began contracting. The crowd was going wild as were Kairi and Selphie, no doubt because of the helping wine. "Aaaaand we're here folks! The farewell game for our beloved heroes, Sora and Riku! And we go to our refs as they are magically able to speak within the sphere

"I'm Biggs and we're here to referee," Biggs exclaimed in the water. "And I'm Wedge! We're here to watch some Blitzbaaaaaaaal!" the near-twin man exclaimed. Hard to believe they were not brothers, but we're not here to discuss this, are we? No, we are here to discuss how Biggs took out the ball of said game, holding it skyward, the rays pouring down unto it.

"And that's what we're going to do! Both teams, get set!" He exclaimed, Riku and Sora taking one look filled with a smirk at each other before the announcement. "BLIZTBALL!" Biggs announced, letting the sphere drop from the stands and into the water bubble. Now, normally, the players would simply dive into it and swim towards the ball, but not Sora and Riku. No, they JUMPED, up and above the sphere they went, both gunning for the ball. The crowd gasped as they surged forward at each other at breakneck speeds, the air around them rippling the water. Riku smiled, his greater speed paying off. In a fluid movement, he grabbed the ball midair, dodged Sora's lunge and let the ball go, lining up the shot perfectly in Sora's goal, shooting. Lucy was not ready for a shot so early into the game and could only gasp as the ball wheezed past her and then Sophia, straight into the goal. The buzzer sounded for the point. The crowd was speechless.

"AMAZING! That may just be the fastest goal I have witnessed after Jecht's legendary first goal fifteen years ago! History is in the making people!" Selphie exclaimed, causing the entire crowd to erupt into cheer. All but one girl.

"Sora. . ." Kairi whined sadly.

_It's just a game Kai. You really ARE head over heels._ Even Naminé didn't expect this degree of bound between the two, which only made it more painful to see both act so oblivious around each other. "And Destiny's Fire gathers for a quick talk," Selphie announced.

Sora's team quickly grouped up, Tidus and Wakka sharing sign language with the others. They were basically only telling everyone to keep their minds into it and that it was not over yet. Tidus grabbed his shoulders and gave him a thumbs-up in his direction. Sora knew exactly what he meant. As soon as the whistle gave way to the restart of the game, they game really got going.

"Okay, Sora in possession, he surges right and barrel rolls away from a lunge by RF Riku. He smirks as he continues going. He passes to LF Tidus, who catches it remarkably. He really is good, isn't he. Jecht would be proud. He scrambles after a tackle from LD Robin. He passes the almost fumbled ball back to— oh! Intercepted by Riku. He advances forward, Sora trailing behind him. He tackles Wakka out of his way, shoots, and— no! Caught by Sophia and Destiny's Fire is back with possession. Tidus speeds forward, aims, and throws for— no it's to Sora, back to Tidus, and SCORE! Tidus ties it up one to one!"

The next three minutes found themselves to be an extremely close match between the two teams, as Sora and Tidus were able to exert pressure on the goal, the entire team except Riku was specialized on defense, making it hard even for two of the aces to get a shot in. Even when they did, Morgan was an amazing goalie for his size. Soon, the frustration started to well up on Sora more and more to the tipping point.

"Tidus passes the ball towards Wakka but Sora, seemingly angry and aggravated, surges forward and takes the pass! Oh, Kairi he is hot-headed isn't he?" Selphie asked her fellow commentator. Kairi looked at her and smiled, but it was heavyhearted. They continued to commentate. "Sora expertly dodges both Catherine and Jake, swimming aggressively into Morgan's goal. Oh no, Riku looks pissed. He takes matters into his own hands and—OHHH! That has got to hurt! This game is getting fired up!" Riku had tackled Sora so hard, it must have knocked the living daylights out of him. Sora was knocked back into the stands, water splashing all over the fans in that area. Not only that, but he also managed to grab the ball and do the exact same thing to Tidus, whom of which landed right next to Sora. Riku scores a goal.

"Oh it looks like the two heartthrobs of today's game have been TAKEN OUT!" Selphie said into the mic. Kairi looked down with extreme concern as she saw Sora and Tidus dazed in the crowd. They each shook their heads and—

"That bitch!" both Kairi and Selphie shouted into their mics. They immediately realized what they just said as they watched two very attractive girls on either Sora and Tidus' side peck them on their cheeks. The boys smiled at them (Tidus returning the kiss) and dove back into the sphere.

"We seriously have some tension in the game now!" Selphie exclaimed, her composure back with a new glass of wine. Kairi had a refill as well.

"The game resumes as Riku passes to Robin, the only one in front of Lucy. Here goes another easy score for Dark Lightning but— NO! Tidus makes an impressive comeback and saves the goal himself! How impressive as we go to our half time."

Once the teams had exited the sphere, Tidus rounded on Sora and started yelling at him. Kairi couldn't tell what was being said from here but she could tell that it was bad because the look on Sora's face was crushing and sad. Once their ten minutes were up, Sora looked directly at her and flashed him that grin that just made her melt.

"And we're already nearing the start of the second halve ladies and gentlemen! Will Sora's team manage to pull through Riku's amazing first two goals? Or was the result decided in the first five seconds of the match?! Either way, let's have one helluva show!" Kairi exclaimed, preparing the crowd for the second halve as Wedge reached for the Blitzball.

"Everyone get ready, because it's time to BLITZBAAAAAAAAAAL!" He exclaimed, letting go of the ball. This time, Riku didn't go for those big jump shenanigans, neither did Sora. They didn't want to abuse their powers. This proved to be a mistake however, as Tidus got the ball. He smiled widely, raising three fingers up in the water.

"Oh… this cannot be! Is Tidus REALLY going to go for it?!" questioned Selphie. Her question was answered once Tidus pulled his leg back and shot at the goal with all his strength. Robin got in the way, but the impact was too strong, leaving the ball to rebound into Tidus, which was already spinning around, reading another shot. "HE IS! Ladies and gentlemen, open your eyes wide!" Again did he shoot, this time even surprising Riku with the power behind it. Next up, the crowd roared once more the moment Tidus began spinning upwards, Selphie and Kairi both yelling along with the crowd: "Jecht Shot Mark THREE!" everyone shouted as Tidus' foot hit the ball, speeding towards the goal with such power and speed that it didn't prevent Morgan from catching it, no, it took Morgan in WITH IT! "And he scoooooooooores!" Kairi shouted, the score now two to two. The next four minutes, neither team scored and that meant overtime. They would get fifteen minutes before the final match off.

"We'll be back with OVERTIME!" Selphie exclaimed, cutting their mics as the teams went back to the locker rooms. Kairi finished her glass and walked out of the box.

**HoL:TS**

Sora slouched into the locker room with his team, sore and tired, but ready to beat Riku. They sat in the locker room for a few minutes, water glistening off of them and dripping onto the ceramic tile underneath. Sora kept noticing Lucy eying Tidus and chuckled to himself. Why couldn't Kairi be that way with him? As if on cue, the doors opened and she walked in.

_Is she. . . drunk__?_ Roxas asked Sora in an amused voice. _I think she is. . ._

_ No, just buzzed, but why is she in here?_

Kairi walked over to Sora and sat down next to him, a large and sheepish grin on her face. He could smell the wine coming from it and smiled at her on the inside. She looked at him.

"I came to wish you luck and I hope you win," she said to him. All eyes were on them.

"Th- thanks Kai," Sora said, looking back at her. His eyes grew wide in shock and his nerves shot as she leaned in and pecked him slightly on the cheek, a gesture that was so small and quick it barely counted as a kiss, but Sora relished in it either way. His heart was rolling as she got up and left the room, wolf whistles and catcalls echoing and following her like her shadow. He sat there stunned as his team laughed at him. Wine made her flirtsy? Okay, that was cool-diddly-o with him. He shook his head and came up with an idea. He looked at Tidus and Tidus looked back. That single facial expression was all the two needed.

**HoL:TS**

Overtime was announced via a loud horn and the voices of Kairi and Selphie. Sora nodded to his team, the plan ready, and they walked into the sunlight, now declining from its zenith. Girls shouted, boys hooted, and the crowd was bursting as the teams emerged and entered the metal preparation sphere. It was time.

_ I gotta hand it to him, his stamina is scary._ Sora groaned inwardly as the kickoff for the overtime took place. Riku had again taken the ball and was now spearing through the defenders left and right. First, Lucy tried to tackle him, hurting herself more than she did Riku, her black form hurtling through the water, rolling haphazardly. Then it was Wakka's turn to fail, passing right through the middle of his legs with his own tackle. Riku's training had been more formal and intense than Sora's, even more so when he wasn't forced to sleep a year, so even when Sora of all people was getting tired, Riku was still going at full steam, just as he always had at everything. Sora was always number two, right before Riku. The only positive for Sora's team was that it was really _just_ Riku; Jake and the rest were all but immobile. He dodged Tidus' mighty lunge and it soon became Sora's turn to stop him. Sora began preparing for a lunge, just to be interrupted when Riku let go of the ball.

"He's gonna shoot from there?!" Sora heard Selphie's voice boom. Sora thought the exact same thing, and sure enough Riku was readying. They were still a fair bit away from the goal so Sora's thoughts lined up with Roxas at that point.

_Well just grab it, Sora,_ Roxas pointed out. Sora regretted saying yes. He wasn't expecting the sheer power and the pain.

The moment Riku's boot collided with the ball, the entirety of the water inside the sphere vibrated, giving Sora a small glimpse into what was coming for him. His body vibrated along with the water and his eyes bugged and shook. His mind seemed to rattle and his teeth clacked furiously as the ball collided with his stomach, even with Sora's hand grabbing it. His entire body was hurled back in the direction of the goal. Sophia couldn't defend this, and Sora knew it. The best he could do was extend his right hand and leg, having them collide with the sides of the goal, making them ripple with pain and leaving a dense red mark on both spots. Sora groaned in malaise and looked back at Riku, who was clapping and signaling to come at him. That taunting bastard.

_Go get him tiger! Time to show off to your girl!_ Roxas yelled at the top of his lungs, again, metaphorically speaking. Sora nodded and just speared towards Riku, using the goal behind him for momentum. He rushed at Riku, who started to prepare himself accordingly. Trying to juke him to the right, Sora gravitated all of his weight to the right, but Riku saw right through him, blocking him both to the right and then to the left. Thing was. . . the ball wasn't in Sora's hands anymore when he looked at them. Sora had thrown it in between his own legs, going through Riku's, into Wakka's hands who had passed it straight to Tidus for a perfectly timed sphere shot.

The crowd went wild as the game just about ended. Selphie and Kairi were just babbling away on those mics and Sora grinned widely at Riku, who just smirked at him. The next three minutes inched away with no scores when they decided to try the same move again. It worked all the way up to Tidus' shot. Morgan was expecting it and Morgan, despite his age and size was a worthy opponent, diving into the ball and punching it upwards, making it miss the goal entirely and just leave the water dome entirely.

Thirty seconds left.

_Sora? What are you doing?_ Roxas questioned when Sora gave Tidus a thumbs up and pointed upwards. . . with three fingers. Tidus seemed to understand since he released the same toothy grin when Sora left Riku in the bubbles.

Twenty seconds left.

"Wait! What was that signal?!" Selphie screamed into the mic. The entire stadium was on its feet, everyone screaming and cheering. "Sora isn't possibly thinking abo— by the GODS HE IS!"

Tidus then spun around, now laying horizontally with his chest pointing upwards and his legs doubled up over it. Sora flipped forward, his feet colliding with Tidus' feet and, at the very same time, they both used all their strength to propel the Keyblade Wielder upwards. Sora surged with such speed it must have broken blitzball records. The water rippled around him and vibrated. It coursed through his hair and ripped at his clothing, snapping and lashing. He burst through the edge of the sphere and into the air, the sense of weightlessness gaining domination. He breathed in the air and his blood pumped hot with fresh oxygen as he lined it up.

Ten seconds.

Sora then started to spin around, memories of both Tidus and the tapes flashing through his head. With an almighty roar, he slammed the ball with all his unbridled strength, his muscles screaming in victory and pain, turning it into something that could be compared to a meteorite in its sheer speed and power. It blasted a massive hole through the sphere, leaving a malevolent maelstrom in its wake.

Jecht Shot Mark Three.

And the arena chanted the name in euphoria.

Five.

Morgan knew better than to even try and block it. Riku, however, did not. He swam forward and put himself in between the ball's trajectory and the goal. The ball struck into him with colossal power, and the entire sphere shook with the power of the impact. He was taken away with its titanic force, going straight through the goal just as the horn blared the end of the game and plummeting right out of the edge of the water sphere, landing butt-first on the ground. Dirt sprayed and he rolled with the force, and nearly out of the stadium's entrance.

He was always number two, but not today. Kairi was watching.

Victory was Sora's.

The screaming was deafening as the crowd rushed upon Destiny's Fire. Sora felt himself hoisted up and laid on someone's shoulders. He looked around at the sea of people and his eyes found Kairi and she smiled at him while he smiled back.

_Hey, Roxas,_ Sora said amid the shouting and rustling.

_Yeah, wha__t?_

_ Tell Naminé to tell Kairi that I told her that I would win. . ._

_Got it._

"Party at the BEACH!" someone screamed and there was a rush to get out of the stadium and into the declining sun. The land was cast a rough orange and the palms blew softly in the gentle and tender wind. Sora heard so many voices call his name but he did not register any of them. He won and had beat Riku. He was still being carried through the parking lot when he looked down. It was Riku. Sora smiled down at his best friend and smiled at him, flashing those teeth in his traditional grin. In a flash, Roxas materialized, the Oathkeeper at his waist, hung by a chain.

"Roxas!" Sora shouted to him.

_What?_

_ Oh, um why do you have the Oathkeeper attached to you by a chain?_

_Because as__ long as Naminé and I touch an item as magical and powerful as the Keyblade, we can manifest bodies, meaning I can eat!_

Sora laughed as he rushed off, flashing out the Oblivion as he attached it to an ethereal Naminé. He hopped down from Riku as they all approached the beach, a massive pile of wood ready for a bonfire and smaller piles scattered throughout for individual groups. Volleyball nets were scattered and frisbees and other toys were distributed. Sora was excited because there was plenty of food ready for roasting and ice cold soda awaiting him and his friends. Sora turned around and found Tidus' arm wrapped around Lucy as they walked down the beach. He winked at Sora and Sora returned it. He found Kairi afterward but did not have enough gall to wrap his own arm around her. Catherine and robin sat with Kairi and Sora. Lucy and Tidus sat with them as well as Jake and Sophia. Riku and Selphie showed up as well. Roxas and Naminé finished the group.

"Firaga!" Sora shouted, his left palm upraised towards the wood. It caught fire immediately and the sound of crackling and aroma of burnt wood filled his senses. Night was descending as the sun's nadir crashed into the horizon and cast an amazing glow on everyone and everything, a deep blood red that contrasted to the fire's bright red and orange. Shouts and laughter emanated everyone, including from Sora. They all sat around the fire in camping chairs, roasting spears out and adorned with anything they want. The winners were hot dogs and marshmallows. The couples were feeding each other, especially Roxas and Naminé. Their feelings for each other were shown and they didn't care. Roxas had told him he and Naminé had pretty much talked the entire time since they had figured out they could communicate. They had expressed their feelings and love for each other and now that they were physical, they were not shy to show their love. Melted chocolate dripped from her lips, dribbling down her chin as Roxas swooped in and licked it up, meeting her lips, giving them a kiss. She giggled at him as the whole group laughed. It put Sora off, though.

_Just because I'm having fun with my girlfriend doesn't mean that you can't do _something_, _anything_, with Kairi. Make a move buck-o!_

_ I'm too scared._

_Pathetic._

Sora growled a bit and Kairi looked at him before Sophia jumped up and yelled: "VOLLEYBALL!" Everyone looked at her and agreed. The group split the teams and played some volleyball, which Sora was pretty good at. After a while of playing, laughs being made, memories created, and friends having a good time, Riku walked over to him. Before Riku could say anything however, catcalls and wolf whistles were streaming from Tidus' direction.

"Yeah Tidus, go get some!" Robin shouted, amid Tidus' embarrassment. Lucy was leading Tidus away by his hand as they made their way towards her house that was right on the beach. He looked back at them, grinned and pumped his fist, before following after Lucy at a faster pace. As his eyes came back to Riku, he noticed a scowl and negative demeanor cover Selphie's face. Did she still have a crush on Tidus? He shrugged it off, happy for Tidus' situation, and looked back to Riku.

"What is it, Riku?" Sora asked, regaining his breath from the game.

"Let's fight, let's give these people a show," Riku said. Sora looked back at him and a grin broke on both of their faces. Sora jumped backwards, did a flip, and summoned the Oblivion in his hand. The area surrounding them immediately became quite save the crashing waves and the crackling fire. There was a type of sparkling sound as The Way to Dawn was summoned. They both readied into their battle stances and a circle was formed around them. Sora looked over at Kairi and saw concern creep across her face like a shadow. He nodded at her before glaring back at Riku. He noticed Naminé had become ethereal when he had summoned the Oblivion.

"Ready to lose. . . _again?_" Sora taunted. Riku smiled a tight-lipped smirk at him.

"Nah. I'm so totally going to kick your ass!" he said exclaimed to rouse the crowd.

"Nononono! I'm going to kick YOUR ass!" Sora shouted back, readying himself.

"Oh, it's on now!" Riku exclaimed as he charged forward.

"It's on like Donkey Kong!" Sora finished, preparing for Riku's assault. Riku threw his Keyblade towards Sora, then using both hands to eject orbs of light following it in hot pursuit. Those orbs were flawed, tinges of darkness swirling in them. It was the darkness that still resonated inside of Riku. Sora deflected the blade, sending it towards the crowd. They screamed in terror but Riku summoned it back before it could reach them. As for the orbs, Sora cast a simple Reflect spell and they bounced into it, their energy dispersing into the shield. Sora stood up from his knelt position and brandished his sword at Riku. "Firaga!" A bolt of fire shot at Riku, singing his hair as it flew by. It dissipated into nothing as Riku slashed at Sora.

Sora deflected the blow with a skillful parry. He arched his arm and flicked his wrist, aiming for Riku's neck. Riku stopped the Oblivion and punched Sora in the gut, making him stagger backward a bit. Sora stood up from the pain and charged Riku. Metal clashing with metal filled the beach front, whirs and blurs of blades striking back and forth, spells flying and people cheering. Sora finally landed a cut on Riku's leg, painting the white sand a scarlet. Riku fell to one knee and stopped another blow toward his head. People gasped at the blood, not thinking that Sora and Riku would go that far. Just as Riku healed the cut, Sora's foot met Riku's face, smashing into it and sending him backward, breaking the nose and losing more blood, flowing like a river. Riku had not time to heal it as Sora continued his barrage, landing hit after hit on Riku before Riku finally backed up. He healed with a Curaga, consumed an ether, and reinitialized the fight.

He held out his hand and summoned tendrils of darkness from the ground, wrapping them around Sora's ankles and legs. Sora stumbled and cast a Firaga spell at the dark fingers, snapping them away. He cursed silently and rushed at Riku, Keyblade in hands. Riku sidestepped and tripped him, making Sora face-plant into the sand. Sora got to his knees, spat out the sand and turned around. More darkness flashed towards him. Okay, it was time to win. . .

Sora flashed in a bright light. His clothes had changed into a bright red and now he wielded both the Oblivion and Oathkeeper. He surged forward and unleashed a torrent of attacks and spells upon Riku, the darkness dissipating as he barraged his attacks. Riku tried to keep pace, but more blood was losing and he couldn't handle it any longer. Sora had won.

"Okay! You win!" he shouted, dispelling his blade. Sora nodded in satisfaction as he walked over, dismissing his Keyblade, returning to normal, and healing Riku's broken nose and cuts with a strong Curaga spell. Sora patted his best friend on the back before turning to face the silent crowd. They all looked at him for a brief moment before erupting into cheers. He smiled and looked over to Kairi. Roxas and Naminé had become whole again, the Keyblades returned to them.

_How about _now_ is the time you make a move?_ Roxas said, staring at him from behind Kairi.

_Y__ou know I think you're right._

_What are you going to say?_

_ I'm going to tell her how I feel and ask her out, of course._

_Good luck._

_ Thanks._

Sora walked assertively to Kairi, a tone and aspect of steel in his nerves now, not the flimsy, scared feeling. He walked right up to her and she looked up at him. The night was beautiful, just like her, and the stars flickered and twinkled in her violet eyes. The sand was soft underfoot and the chilling wind from the ocean caressed them, rippling their flesh in goosebumps. Sora exhaled as he had taken a breath in of her cherry blossom perfume. He had memories of all the things they had done as children, especially the moments they had shared in the secret place. He had had so many times to embrace his love for her and show it, but he hadn't. He was too shy, but no, not tonight. Tonight the world was his and he would finally do something about it before they left in what would only be minutes. The gummi ship, the Highwind, would be arriving via autopilot very soon, and now was the best time to do it, in front of all his friends. He would not be afraid.

"Kairi, I need to tell you something. . ." he began. She looked up at him with a faint smile.

"Yeah, Sora?" she replied.

"Kairi, I—"

**HoL:TS**

_July 16, 2010  
__The World That Never Was_

Maleficent stood among her assembled group at the Alter of Naught, gazing with black eyes up at Kingdom Hearts. As of now it was much smaller than it used to be, seeing as how that idiot Ansem the Wise had desecrated it and its power. Why he was called wise she would never know, but he was dead now, which made her happy. No more interruptions from him. Diablo cawed and flew to her, resting upon her shoulder in a ruffle of feathers. Meat hung from his beak, still slightly twitching. Dinner was always best alive, or so she had surmised on a few accounts. She looked among her assembled group, her allies, and she evaluated them. She was not disappointed with the outcome, but she thought she could have been graced with better allies. Though, she did have one that was the ultimate ally, in her opinion.

"Okay, doll, why are we here?" Hades asked sarcastically. She smirked at him and his cheeky attitude. He was the only one she let get away with things like that. His fiery hair loomed in her eyes and reflected shadows all about.

"Yeah?" a high pitched voice called to her. She became immediately annoyed. While he was stupid and chaotic, he was highly useful, so she had to deal with all his stupidity and insubordination.

"Keep your mouth shut and _m__aybe_ we can get to work, you bumbling fool," she said coolly to him. He took a feigned look of hurt as he cackled.

"Do not talk to my brother that way, witch," his brother said in a much calmer demeanor. Why did he have to come along? Well, maybe they made a good tag team. He would be the brains while the other would be the doer.

"I did not ask you for your opinion, now you shut up as well," she demanded.

"Yes, let us get on with this," a deep and alluring male voice emanated. Eyes shot towards him as he swept back his hair and eyed them.

"What's that, Mama's Boy?" the first brother cackled. His brother laughed as well as a few others. Within the blink of an eye, the man had appeared before the first brother, a hand at his throat. He squeezed, cutting off oxygen, a choking and gurgling sound resonating.

"Call me that one more_ time_ and see what becomes of you," he said menacingly, crushing the first brothers larynx slightly. He choked out some unintelligible words.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Okay!" he worked out. He released his grip on the brother and returned to his spot, a scowl on his face and his arms crossed.

"Don't worry about the lesser-minded," one of the men said. The other looked at him and actually smiled. Maleficent thought that those two would get along just great. The man that addressed the Mama's Boy sleeked back his already waved blond hair and adjusted his sunglasses. "_We_ are the real intelligence here." Maleficent smiled at him.

"I really will enjoy having you here," she said to him. He adjusted his glasses some more and nodded to her.

"Geez Louise," Hades said, procuring a chair from the darkness and sitting himself in it, sipping from a fresh martini with a worm in it.

"Why is it you are all so impatient?" another man stated. His shook his disheveled red hair and looked at them all.

"As it turns out," the only other female their said, "I am yet to complain about anything except for those idiot brothers," she said, her voice as harrowing as ice.

"Oh look, another opinion from another witch. You're too kind, get in line, if you don't like it just kiss my beHIND" the first brother shouted, cackling following it. His brother smirked.

"**IF YOU ALL ARE DONE, I WOULD LIKE TO GET THIS UNDERWAY!**" the last man shouted. His voice shook the entire alter and all those standing there. Maleficent smiled at her greatest ally and thanked him. Now they could finally get down to business.

**HoL:TS**

_July 16, 2010  
__Destiny Islands_

"Kairi, I—"

**HoL:TS**

_July 13, 2010  
__I'ltorien_

Her sleep had been all but reassuring, all but comforting. In the short time where she allowed herself to rest she had lived through hundreds if not thousands of the hardships she knew as her life. She would question why, but she had learned that the hard way. Even so, she wanted to live, maybe out of some twisted sense of self-preservation or maybe out of respect for the ones who had not made it to where she was. At this point, she only hoped that the outside world would be different. Freedom better be what they all cracked it up to be.

With all of this in mind, she opened her tired eyes, the dull colors of the room she was kept in doing nothing to reinforce the notion of her freedom. At least she was laying on a bed. It had been what. . . four years since the last time she had had one? Her feet were burning though. Not that she was expecting any less, but she felt that they had been treated well enough, better than she had ever been after the experiments on her body, so her hopes were slightly revived by it. At least they wanted her well. . . for now. Then, the moment of truth came. Her body was wailing in malaise as she did it, but she did it anyways. She forced herself up and looked around, evaluating the room. It had more things in it than her old one had. And by that she meant that it had a cupboard, a window and a painting. The clear blue sky. . . it entranced her so. She had seen it only once in her life. And he had been shot moments later. A part of her just wanted to admire it for hours, but she knew better than to let her guard down so easily. The painting. . . well the painting depicted a giant, burnt down city, survivors scattering everywhere, a man in golden and shining armor raising a silver inscribed blade with a synclinal curve near the end of the blade, a golden carved circle floating in the midst of the curve just before the blade ended. Its pummel was a mix of golden and orange for what it was worth. Rounding out the inspection of the room was a man. At the door. She felt dumb for not noticing it. The way her eyes boggled seemed to clue the man in.

"Well, well, well, Dollface finally woke up! Gotta hand it to ya, you're quite the catch!" the man exclaimed, making the girl cringe at the nickname. It was so. . . fitting. He then took a giant barrel and sipped into the mead inside it happily, slamming it back down and gulping crudely before cleaning his still dripping face with his forearm, it was obvious he was not there to cause an impression. His hair was black and unruly, falling even lower than his shoulder. He had a deep red bandana covering his forehead and his face was as masculine as it could get, square chin, unkempt beard and a snide smile to top it all off. His shirtless body? Well, the girl, while not interested in it, could only compare it to a bronzed god. Nobody, and she meant NOBODY was as toned as him back in the facility. Speaking of his body, his torso was adorned with a strange black tattoo and his right arm was covered in a spiked gauntlet. Finally, he wore a fed sash over black shorts, nothing covering his feet. "I mean, I'm surprised you lived through all that, your body is a MESS, and let's not talk about the scars on it. What did do to ya? Scratch that, I can guess!" he was far too liberal talking about it for the girl's tastes, so she went right for the throat. What? She didn't attack him, you hooligans, she could barely move. She just spoke as directly as she could.

"Where am I?" she asked, breaking eye-contact with him soon after, as her tone had made him glare for a moment. Just for a moment, then he blared out laughing.

"Ouch! The edge of that tone just cut me! Look, we saved ya Doll, some thanks would be appreciated." he told her, shaking his head and taking another sip. He didn't even clean himself up when he answered, already tipsy. "Anyway, I'll give the answer. Dollface, welcome to the-"

**HoL:TS**

_July 16, 2010  
__Destiny Islands_

"Kairi, I—" Just as he was about to say it, Riku broke in.

"Guys, the ship is here!" he shouted. Indeed, in the distance it was landing, waves of air billowing in all directions, shaking palm trees and blowing sand. Sora was going to KILL him! Clothes and towels flapped and the water rippled. Sora, Kairi and Riku made their way there, all of their friends and family waiting for them. Roxas and Naminé disappeared and became whole with their Somebodies. Sora came up to them all and first went to the parents.

"I'm going to miss you all," he said, hugging them all, finally finishing with his mom.

"Be safe son," she told him through a chocked voice.

"I will," he told her. He moved to all his friends and Tidus was there. His hair was a mess and his clothes were in a disarray. His shirt was even on inside-out.

"Hey, you all be safe, okay?" he told them, hugging each in turn. Once all the farewells were said, they each transcended into the gummy ship, closing the door behind them, the air lock sealing in place. Sora roared the Highwind to life and took flight. Within minutes he hit the atmosphere and was now in orbit of the Destiny Islands. He put into auto pilot mode and the estimated time until arrival would be on the morning of the third day. Sora yawned and realized just how sleepy he was. It had been one very long day!

"Where are the beds?" Riku asked irritably.

"Just this way," he said. He resigned to give them a tour in the morning as he led the to the semicircular room that held the living spaces. On the far right was his original bedroom. In the middle was Donald's and the left was Goofy's. He explained how all the rooms were identical in structure and how each had its own bathroom. Riku went to Goofy's while Kairi went to Donald's. Sora left for his own room, not flicking the lights on as he crashed into his bed and let the night take him into the cast realms of sleep.

* * *

TN: Well, that was a LONG chapter, eh Herald?

TUH: Called it.

TN: Whatever do you mean? You helped WRITE it?

TUH: Hence why it's so big. You see how big mine are?

TN: Hey, I have some hefty ones, too.  
TN: Not like it's compared to Shire Folk

TUH: The noobie is trying to stand up to the vet? Go level a bit before that.

TN: Don't make me demote you down a level in the-

TUH: Gee, and I thought I almost spoiled stuff...

TN:Anyway, anything you'd like to say?

TUH: Of course, here it is: Two notes? Moving up in the world, are we?! Anyway, I want to see you guys guess which scenes were my doing and which scenes were by Tor. See if my readers really do know everything about me… like stalkers. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, we're closing in on the main plot, you know how slow my starts are (Radiant doesn't count Jade, don't throw that in my face). So yeah, stay tuned for the next chapter, aka, the actual plot!

TUH: What about ya fresh meat? Got anything to add?

TN: Demoted.  
TN: And. . . I agree, I would like to see if the fans can differentiate our styles. I am also looking forward to Chapter 3, the beginning(s) of the real plot! I do hope you all enjoyed this!

TN: Well, thank you, we hoped you enjoyed AND reviewed!

TUH: You underestimate my powers. Such as the power to command everyone reading this to review. Watch. . .

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	3. The Briefing

TN: About time you finally wrote HER part.

TUH: At least I did not DELETE THE CHAPTER!

TN: Well. . .

TUH: Game set and done

TN: It's set and MATCH! Not done.

TUH: Whatevs, sore loser.

TN: Whatever, to business. So, what do you have to say about this chapter?

TUH: Obviously that I shall blow minds with my part.

TN: And I shall finally give our readers SOMETHING they can know, and not all this secretive stuff that we have been giving them.

TUH: Just don't make everyone an alcoholic.

TN: Oh, about that. You readers:  
TN: I'm sorry about the wine scene, a lot didn't agree with that. It is something I should not have done, but it is. There is a more valid reason within the chapter.  
TN: Sorry.

TN: Well ready for the chapter Herald?

TUH: And with that, let the party begin!

Sora: Hey guys, what about the disclaimer?! Guys? *sighs* I don't get paid enough for this. Ahem, they do not own me, Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, or. . . well let it be a surprise.

Sora: Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter III**

**The Briefing**

_Aboard the Highwind  
__July 17, 2010_

"Soooo. . ." Sora said, hitting auto-pilot and leaning back in the captain's chair. "You guys wanna do somethin'? I mean, Disney Castle is still technically two days away and I'm not gonna sleep through all of them!" he exclaimed, stretching his arms and legs and yawning. Riku just face palmed immediately as his chocolate-haired friend waved his childish behavior around like it was normal. Kairi giggled at him and looked at Riku, he should have known what he had signed up to when he came on this trip with Sora.

"Well, you could show us around Sora. We haven't seen much outside of the rooms we slept in last night," Kairi suggested, her curiosity tickling the back of her mind. She looked around this room, it was dull and had no decorations whatsoever. That and all the buttons and levers were disorienting to her. How could he memorize all that? They say curiosity killed the cat, but she was born curious so she'd take the risks that came with it.

"Good idea Kai! Follow me!" shouted the somewhat childish Keyblade Master, leaping up and out of the pilot's seat and rushing towards the exit of the cockpit. She giggled again and rose, leaving the dull cockpit along with Riku as they followed Sora into the following room, leaving the auto-pilot to do it's job. She saw that happy-go-lucky look on Sora's face and smiled. Oh why couldn't he love her? Why hadn't he done something, _anything_ by now? Then, all of a sudden, his face bore a scowl and his eyebrows furrowed, his face became on of frustration.

"Oh shut it Roxas," Sora replied, seeming a bit irritated. Kairi nodded in understanding as she knew the feeling from Naminé. She loved to pick on and frustrate Kairi to no ends. Riku smirked and caught up to Sora.

"You know Sora, I'm okay with having you talking with Roxas, but you have to start controlling your outbursts while talking to him, people will start to think you have MPD," Riku told Sora. Kairi started to worry about how her best friend having different persons inside of him would affect him mentally. It may seem all fine and dandy at first. . . but he'd better be careful. She knew he could handle it, just like she would handle having Naminé within her.

"Fine, fine, I'll talk to him with my mind for now. But first, kitchen time!" Sora exclaimed, almost immediately forgetting all about Riku's warning, at least for now, and rushing to the corridors of the gummi ship. The gummi ship's corridors were much bigger than what you'd expect, even if they were just simple, non-decorated, "techy" passageways, streams of energy or magic sliding through the side walls. This lead Kairi's curiosity to peak once again. That gnawing curiosity forced her to voice it.

"Sora, how does the ship look, or how _is_ it so big? It was barely bigger than two vans stacked together when it landed." the million dollar question, isn't it? How could it have been so big, you may ask? Well that answer is

"Magic!" Sora dismissed, quickly sliding to the side and into the kitchen. _Did he just pull a Tom Cruise_? Kairi asked herself. She shrugged it away and followed into the kitchen. When Kairi entered, she really started to believe Sora's explanation for it. Of course she wanted to know more, but this had to be wizardry. You see, the pristine white marble kitchen was about _half_ of what the gummi ship SEEMED to be on the outside. It had every kitchen utensil Kairi had ever seen and more. Pots and pans hung wildly above centered counter islands. There were two stoves, two ovens, three tables(one of them for eating and the others for preparing dishes) and one _hell_ of a GIANT refrigerator, seriously, it was a room all to itself! This could not, under any circumstances, be in the ship as only "a part of it". And where was Sora? Inside the fridge of course.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAW!" That sound that came from it also made everyone realize what he was trying to find. "Nothing to eat except for the absolute necessary. . . cheap bastards!" He exclaimed, leaving the fridge room to confront his friends. Kairi just smiled at his foolishness. "So. . . uuuuh, this is the kitchen! You can cook and. . . stuff!" he exclaimed, waving his arms around and pointing at random things. "Goofy was the one to actually use it, so I can't give you that big of a description, but hey, it's a kitchen, nothing special to it, is there?" Sora asked with that giant grin of his. Her heart melted at it. Gnawing curiosity would not leave her alone, even if he already explained it.

"Except for the size! How does this even fit in the ship?!" Kairi asked, blocking the exit out so that Sora wouldn't just escape again. He glared at her, adding a tight-lipped smile.

"I already told you, Kai! Magic!" Sora exclaimed, but the tapping of Kairi's foot told him to "elaborate". She wanted a definite answer. "Look, I can't explain it since its magic, but here's what I know. When Cid builds a gummi ship, he asks Merlin to cast a spatial bending spell on it, so the interior is actually many times more spacious than the exterior. That's all I know, honest!" Sora exclaimed, spewing everything he knew, hoping that they would let up. Riku sighed and told Kairi to forget it, Magic was better left unexplained. She pouted, but eventually agreed. Whoever this Merlin fellow was, she would have to one day meet him and ask him herself. Then, and only then, would her curiosity be sated.

Next up and to the left of the ship, they found a gigantic white room filled with nothing but each and every training equipment you could think of. Targets? There. Weights? Of course. Punching bags? Also there. You get the gist of it. This somehow surprised Riku and Kairi even more so. Sora actually trained? He was too lazy!

"Wait, you actually have a training room?!" in unison they both exclaimed. Sora stared them down, wanting to know what the big surprise was, only to have Kairi answer. She thought she had a viable excuse for their outburst.

"You just don't seem to be the kind of person that. . . trains all that much. Even on the islands, you just kinda, I don't know, winged it most of the time. Your training. If it could be called that, was just sparring, no more," the princess explained with Riku's nodding backing her up. Sora pouted and crossed his arms, looking a bit angry at the misconceptions that they were giving him. She immediately felt guilty and hoped that he wouldn't be mad at her. That would kill her.

"Well, I'll let you know that not only did I train, but I also used the harder room at the right more!" He exclaimed, pointing out the door on the left. Of course, they were all curious as to what it was and followed Sora there. She entered and gazed at a small computer room in which a giant PC covered half of the space in it connected with a bigger, empty room. Sora smiled at their puzzled expressions and explained.

"Cid installed this after our first trip to Radiant Garden in our second journey. It follows the way the MCP used to bring digital Heartless into Radiant Garden. Basically, there are a lot of different enemy and area programs etched into the memory drive of the PC, and at any time or place, you can digitize them into that room over there. Just that room though. Think of it as practical training." Riku and Kairi were mesmerized at the technology before them. Was it even possible? Apparently so, but they were about to see something even rarer. It almost threw them off as he changed. _Oh my,_ Kairi thought. She found this rather attractive and different. Sora was wearing a serious expression for once. "But, and this is a big one. NEVER use this thing without someone on the outside, watching. These things are nearly real. They _will_ hurt you! They will. . ." He looked to the room and shuddered, grasping his right shoulder. His eyes closed in a grimace and in memory. Whatever he was thinking of was causing him pain in a nostalgic sense. He took a deep breath and looked back to them.

"It will. . . kill you even. I already had a close call once, and I wish to never have it again." Sora then scratched at that area near his shoulder again and shivered. Kairi immediately tensed up and nodded. Riku on the other hand took quite a while to nod affirmatively, more than Sora's attention span lasted anyway, because he was already off to another room.

This last one was completely empty except for a lone TV smacked right dab in one of the corners. Even Sora was dismayed at it. She had expected at least _some_ sort of entertainment.

"They took out our consoles! What're we gonna do until we reach the Castle? Just watch TV?!" Of course this earned another face palm from Riku and a giggle from Kairi. He turned around at them with a facial expression that told them to explain themselves.

"You could just, oh I don't know, train!" he exclaimed, groaning slightly at how lightly Sora was taking this. She had to agree at how he was acting. He was taking this not nearly as seriously as she thought he would have.

"But King Mickey said it wasn't a big deal. . . I don't wanna train for something like that!" he said exasperatedly. Kairi stepped back a bit at seeing Riku's face. Sora had just pushed Riku a bit too hard.

"Then just watch TV all day!" he snapped with a flail of his arms and stomp of his boot, abruptly exiting the room and leaving his two friends to look on, confused. She sighed and looked at the void spot where Riku was just standing. Sora was just about to go after him.

"Don't," Kairi told Sora, grabbing him by the hand. "He needs to cool off, you know this."

_Oooh, making a move, are we?_ Naminé asked, smiling inwardly as Kairi removed her hand from Sora's as if it was burning, the duo just staring at everything but the other one as they became colored deep red, which was hard, seeing as there was only a TV in the room. After a minute or two, they continued the tour, leaving the absence of Riku, and filling it with tension. He broke it.

"So Kai, why were drinking wine?" he asked playfully as they walked.

"Selphie kind of forced it on me," she replied. Which in a sense was true. "I would normally _never_ do that." Than a question came up.

"Why did _you_?" she asked. He stopped and looked at her.

"Because you were," he replied, walking yet again.

_What?_

**HoL:TS**

We rejoin our heroes at nighttime, Destiny Islands time. Riku relentlessly tore a punch bag open with only three punches, sending it hurdling towards the wall and spilling the grainy sand contents all over the floor. You could see his sweat tainting each piece of equipment in the training room. For more than twelve straight hours he had trained, hard, undaunted, rigorous. He trained because he had seen something in the fight against Sora. Fun as it may have been, he had seen it. He was out for perfection, to eliminate all the pieces of useless being inside of him, to flush it out. He was riddled with uselessness and he had to exterminate it. He had to control it. He had seen it. Darkness. His orbs of light were stained with darkness. No matter how much he tried to let it go, it wasn't enough. He could feel it inside him, burning, slithering through every hole, infecting every cell of his body. It burned within him and raged, trying to dominate and take him over.

Again.

He had not controlled it. He had not repressed it. He had slowed it down. It was there and he needed to get it out. Crying out in frustration, Riku kicked another bag with such strength it detached from the ceiling, exploding against a wall right next to the door to the simulation room. Pieces of chipped ceiling fell around him, and he huffed in anger, in ire. Riku was burning up inside with frustration. He needed to get rid of it, somehow, someway.

"This isn't going anywhere. I have to learn how to fight it the hard way!" Riku exclaimed, starting to roam towards the room in hopes to try it out when the door slammed open. The noise was so loud in the silence, it scared him senseless. It sounded like the loudest thing of all time. It was Sora standing at the door way.

"Shit!" Riku exclaimed. "Dammit, Sora, you nearly gave me a heart attack, now move!" he said, trying to move past Sora. The latter stopped him.

"Riku. You weren't going to try what I think you were gonna try, were you?" Sora asked somberly from the door. Riku didn't answer, simply continuing on his way. "Riku, I nearly died in there!" he exclaimed, stopping Riku in his tracks, even if he didn't commit to eye contact. "I was careless. I went in by myself and if Goofy hadn't of woken up early, they'd find me headless on the floor of the room. But this is me Riku, you know who I am! You were never reckless with anything, why were you gonna do it after what I told you?!" he questioned, reaching up to Riku and forcing eye contact.

"Sora it's the darkness. I know Xehanort's Heartless is not inside me anymore, but I can still feel the remnants of what it left behind in me spreading. I thought that if I could just. . . flush it out, it'd be fine. I was going to go fight the monsters in hopes of doing that. I have to master it Sora! You don't get it. You don't have it in you!" he shouted, swing his arm wildly, almost connecting with Sora before looking at his own hand, realizing he was this close to hitting his best friend. Sora didn't blame him, he simply sighed and started talking. At least Riku could be happy for Sora trusting him and forgiving him for his own outbursts.

"You know Riku, I never told you this because I thought it'd only make things worse, but I need to do it right now it seems. Once, at Port Royal, I was fighting a heartless Luxord summoned. We were losing badly, so Donald and Goofy decided to give me their power to use Master Form. Something went wrong. I only remember a dark flame burning my very being and then. . . darkness. When I woke up, we had won, but everyone was terrified of me. I had turned into a rampaging beast of darkness, tearing the Heartless apart with my claws. I was ravage, truculent, terrifying. I nearly killed innocent people because the darkness purge the light within me and took over. Luckily, I had beat it and controlled it. This happened not once, but two times more before I got access to the Final Form after beating Roxas. Riku, I also have the darkness in me. Ever since I sacrificed my heart for Kairi… my Anti-Form is there, waiting to strike. I know what it feels like, or at least somewhat." Riku could just stare at him, wide eyed.

**HoL:TS**

Sora looked at his best friend and started to smile. "Then how do you-" _Thud_. Riku tapped his foot. A thudding noise. It was a hollow, dull thudding. It sent him into a vigil of memories, so fresh, yet far away. It reminded him of the Invisible's sword. That dull thud it made when it arched into his flesh, searing through it, cutting the muscle, slicing the sinew. It went down straight to the bone and broke that, too. It burned and that _thud_, that dull sound of defeat. And, god was that pain immense! He had felt nothing like it, well, one other thing. He moved his hand to his chest after it had been subconsciously rubbing his right shoulder. He remembered looking up as the Invisible's sword yanking out, a wrenching squeak of splintered bones, the squish and splosh of muscle and blood, veins visible, bone visible. A dull thud as it finally ripped out, blood leaving in a spray, dotting his face, dripping from his matted hair. He screamed, he had been the entire time. That dull _thud_. He looked up to see the sword whistling towards his

(life)

neck, the light gleaming off of the sword like the last flashes and light of his existence. Decapitation. Would that really be the end of him? It seemed so. And then it vanished, Goofy strolling in, half dressed and fur tangled from sleep, concern etched into his very being. Sora would have said thank you, had he not been screaming. Goofy summoned Donald as they tried to heal what they could with Donald's magic and elixirs. All noise was blocked out as he felt his muscles and sinew somewhat reshaping, blood still gushing, gushing from the

(_thud_)

pumping of his beating heart. His thudding heart. Laying in that red pool, that was all he had heard. _Thud. Thud. Thud._

_thud thud thud. . ._

His hand had dropped from the door, his heart aching in a wakeless _thud_ and his mind deep in thought and memory. Kairi placed a hand on that shoulder and he screamed, he screamed just like he had that night, high pitched and terrified. She recoiled as if her hand had been burned. The echo that followed, ringing down the halls was monstrous, other-worldly. Then, the silence. He had never heard silence so loud before. If he had had a mirror, he could see just how pale and frail he looked right then. So _weak_.

He looked to his two best friends and forced a weak smile. He had never seen Riku look so concerned for him before, and that lightened his mood. He looked at Kairi and thought he saw genuine love in those eyes. But holding up that love was a care, a concern like that only a mother could give. She was his best friend as well, not only his love interest, and he was glad for that above all else.

"Sora, will you be fine?" Kairi asked, not daring to touch him again. He could see the fear there.

"Yes, you just startled me. I was thinking," he told her. She knew it was a lie, but did not force anymore out of him. Riku kept silent but his eyes told Sora everything words would. Riku was there for him, no matter what. He was going to answer Riku's questions.

"Simple. I don't worry about it. The more you do, the more the darkness destabilizes you, the more it gains control. I just believe that the moment I went out of control, you guys would save me. The moment I let myself slip into worry is the moment Anti takes over. It lies in despair, and the deeper you dive, the easier it is for it to grab onto it. Get it now Riku? We're here for you. . . you don't have to worry." Sora then extended his hand to his friend, his big grin finally making it back into his face.

"You guys. . ." Riku said, spotting Kairi watching over from the door. "I'll try. I won't let the worry consume my every waking moment. Thanks Sora, I needed that." Keyblade Master Riku told his best friend, returning the handshake.

"Anytime! Now let's get something to eat! I'm hungry, so I'll be taking from your portion!" Sora exclaimed, rushing to the kitchen.

"Wait, what?! No way! Get back here you stupid brown hedgehog!" Riku exclaimed playfully, following his best friend in, leaving Kairi in the trail of wind they had formed.

**HoL:TS**

_The World That Never Was  
__July 17, 2010_

While Riku was cooling down and finally falling asleep millions of miles away, Alexia walked down the depressing and cold metal corridors of The Castle That Never Was. She held her arms and rubbed her biceps repetitively, trying to warm them. She was still in her casual clothing after her parents had been murdered only a mere week ago, a simpler time. She mourned them, she did right now. She felt sad at this passing, but she had been toughened and she had turned cold after the past year and a half of traveling, battling to survive every day, seeing death just as frequent. She had cried until no tears would come two days after their death. Now, she would only be emotional, nothing more. She mourned them, and maybe she had before they died. All seemed dead to her now, and then, a simpler time. She could still remember, many years ago, the refreshing days of sitting on a rocky outcropping that overlooked the coast of Maine. She would be alone, of course. Her family never spent time with her, and the only ones who had, had been her thirteen year old brother Phil—who had been kidnapped and murdered years later—and her pappy, also dead, murdered. Why was it that her entire family had been murdered? She only shrugged her shoulders to her own question, crying on the inside. She would never let another being see her cry, never again.

She would be alone, of course. No friends. Yep, that summed up her whole damned life. While none of the other kids at school would hang out or be friends with her, they would show her no affiliation whatsoever. She may have been happy even if they had been mean to her, just to have some sort of tie to _them_, the _outside_ world.

She would be alone, of course. She would stare down at the rough sand and roaring ocean, pristine, blue, and always screaming its angst to the poor sand it barraged constantly. She watched gulls fly high, cruise and bruise, drop clams onto rocks and eat them, alive and still twitching, meat flying down their gullets and juice squirting out their beaks. The first time she saw this she felt nauseated, that was before her parents were ripped apart before her eyes, the blood splashing on her. Coppery and wet. By them.

_Them._

_ The outside world._

She walked down the corridors, alone, of course. She was given directions by some bumbling idiot named Pete, who had apparently good ties to the one she sought. It was often a fondness of hers to think of others as less intelligent than herself, because it was always true. One perk of being ostracized her entire childhood, and even now at seventeen, was that she focused on her schoolwork all the time. And she read anything she could get her hands on. She was intelligent, at least she had that.

_An' isn't dat ter damn truth,_ pappy had told her while guzzling down his moonshine. She had loved her pappy, ever since she was a little tike, as her pappy would always call her. She would visit him down in Kentucky from time to time. And at least _he _loved her. He wasn't _them_.

_ Them._

_ The outside world._

She rounded a corner and was met by a warmer feeling. A draft carried warm air to her, caused by torches no doubt, she could see the glow in the distance. If she had a mirror, she could see how the glow resonated in her deep, dark purple eyes, well, _eye_. How it illuminated her silver hair that flowed down to her shoulder blades. Her bangs were cut to cover the right half of her face, very stylish, too, and keep the left completely uncovered. This was because of a horrible scar that ran across her face, cutting right through the eye, leaving it a whitish-purple, opaque like glaucoma. She shuddered at the memory, something she did _not_ want to think about right now. Her very pale, white skin glowed in the light and her slim and beautiful 1.77 meter body moved graciously through the corridors. Her short denim shorts and tight black tee drank in the warmth to help the battle against the cold.

She rounded another corner and came upon a set of large steel doors. She carefully grasped the round doorknocker, covered in thorns, and banged against the door. After a moments pause, it swung inward on oiled hinges and a voice, cold and torturous as venom told her to enter. She did and all warmth left her, even if that wasn't much to begin with. The room she walked into had only one occupant, sitting in the middle of thirteen high backed, marble thrones, all wrapped in thorns—which happened to be everywhere and savage. Maleficent sat before her, petting a black crow on her shoulder. She stopped and looked down at Alexia with a smirk.

"And who are you, girl?" she asked with that icy voice. It sent shivers down Alexia's spine like the first swim in the Atlantic. That was before her world was devastated. A simpler time. A sadder time.

Alexia, remembering that first impressions were everything, bent down to one knee and bowed her head. "My name is Alexia," she said monotonously, her silver bangs covering her eye. She waited in the silence; the silence as crushing as the gull's beak upon the tissue. Twitching. Alive.

"Hello, Alexia," the queen of darkness said from her throne. Her crow took flight and the sorceress watched it for a bit as it flew out a tall, open mullioned window. She sighed and looked back down at Alexia who had turned her face up to look at Maleficent's own white-washed green one, outfitted with eyes as black as her cloak.

"It is nice to meet you. What is it you want in this palaver?" She asked as she disappeared in a flash of dark wisps and green flames, reappearing beside Alexia. She held her sickly green hand to her and Alexia took it, feeling not only ice, but a bursting power unlike she had ever known. She shuddered ever so slightly and rose to her feet.

"I would like to enlist my service to you," she said simply and timidly, not looking at Maleficent directly. She felt that same icy power take her chin and turn her head to look straight into those black funnels of despair.

"Please, Alexia," she said in a complacent way, "do not be afraid of me. I can feel your fear and uneasiness." She looked at Alexia and smiled, a smile that could break a man's mind or heart. A smile that could bring forth laughter from a child or bring love to a man. A smile of deceit.

"Why do you want to serve me?" she asked in that. . . _voice_.

_Them._

_ The outside (world) voices._

Alexia stared at her and swallowed that weird lump, a choking fear she presumed. "I have nowhere else to go, and after I thought, I reconsidered your proposal, I figured I could find acceptance here," she said bashfully and foolishly. She felt like the flattery card was definitely not her area of expertise.

"Ah, and you thought correctly, my dear," Maleficent answered, casting an arm around Alexia. They began walking around the thrones, marveling each one in turn. "But I don't see anything in it for you," she continued.

"I need nothing. Just a place to call home," Alexia retorted looking at a throne inscribed with a beautiful script labeled_ VIII:_ _The Flurry of Dancing Flames_.

"Don't you have a family or someone who loves you to be with? I am sure you could be happier elsewhere," Maleficent said coyly. Alexia never saw the smirk play across her face.

"No. No one loves nor cares about me. Never have. Never will." Alexia felt her heart break at those words. The thought of accepting it. Maybe she had accepted it long ago? She could only wonder. _Oh Phil, why can't you be alive._

_ Raped and murdered, sis. Remember? By them. . ._

"Oh that isn't true, Alexia," Maleficent said, dragging her out of her horrible thoughts. "You'll have a whole new family here that will love and care about you," she finished.

"But are you sure about this?" Maleficent asked.

"Positive," Alexia said. They had stopped behind the middle throne. Maleficent smiled a cruel and sick smile. She cackled and grasped Alexia's hand. A terrible light grew from between their hands. It grew intensely and then it became dark and smoky.

"I have just given you one and one power only," Maleficent told her as they walked around to the front again, nearing the doors. Alexia could feel the power course through her as she shifted the strap that shouldered her staff. It was wooden until halfway where it became a sheathed sword. She was very adept at both magic and melee. This past year and a half traversing the worlds after her own was destroyed was perfect practice. What she liked most about her weapon was that it split in two, allowing the use of both magic and melee, if the time called for such an action.

"You can now create passages of darkness. I will not trust you with more important powers, yet," Maleficent told her with a hand on her shoulder. Alexia nodded her thanks to Maleficent.

"Your arrival is perfect, for I need somebody to go on a _very_ important mission for me, and I think you will do quite well," Maleficent told her, drawing her in.

After about half an hour of talking, Alexia left through a portal of darkness.

Alone, of course.

_Them. . ._

_ The outsi—_

**HoL:TS**

_I'ltorien  
__July 16, 2010_

Finally free. Well, at least that what she wanted to believe. Wandering through the bleak, almost deserted corridors of the stronghold, the girl took in her new-found liberty. The doctors had told her it would be weeks until she could walk again. They did not know her. How much she loathed her body for what they called to be an amazing blessing. You see, in a mere trio of days, she was all but cured, anything but permanent scars had flown with the wind it appeared.

Now, shall we, the audience, ask ourselves a question? What would that mean for her? Would it be a blessing if she recovered extremely fast from those tortuous experiments, only to be able bodied to return to them the day after? Would it be a blessing if her singed skin would return to normal, only to have it be tested against electricity again? Would it be a blessing if all the cuts and bruises just vanished, leading way to more killing in the small arena the facility housed? Gives you a whole perspective, doesn't it?

In any case, the girl had been given full liberty to walk around the stronghold. . . ah yes, freedom. How long she had waited for it. So long that she did not believe it. As much as she hated being so distrusting, it had come with her life. Everything that was given to her had a purpose unknown to her. Except. . .

"I did it. I just wish you two could be here with me. . ." the girl said, melancholy filling her voice as she looked into the outside world through the window to her side. The horizon was covered in a thin, morning mist, something she had heard the doctors comment on being usual for the vale they were in. The fortress itself was majestic for her. None of those excruciating cold tones, lifeless machines, monstrous test tubes. Just a very medieval, practical and simple look, gray walls, paintings of seemingly nicer people, oiled lanterns ready to light the hallways at night. Still, she knew something was up. She turned back and there was a man, taller than her, but not too tall. He had dark blue unkempt hair, a green bandana; a dark blue, sleeveless, vest with two knee-length coattails and golden borders. Also there were some gray pants with leather protection and brown leather shoes. He also wore a dirty red cape with a beige interior, the wear and tear being shown by how it was ravaged on the lower end. Finally, he wore protection: a leather shoulder plate and chestplate and armored black gloves with silver metal plates.

"And you are?" the man asked, quite bluntly. The girl did not reply. It was not that she was rude, it was something far worse. "I won't bite," he continued with a small smile in his lips. The girl said the only thing she could.

"They never gave me a name," she explained, the expression of the man exploding in shock before being dyed in acknowledgment.

"You are the one we rescued from the Empire, right?" he asked once again, the girl this time only nodding. "You're up early."

"The doctors were surprised too. . . and apparently so were your leaders. I'll have to wait three days for a hearing," explained the girl, a twinge of sadness and disappointment tainting her face as the wind blew past them. Some awkward seconds passed before the man snapped his fingers and seemed to have made a decision.

"Look, I know one of the ones that are attending all of the meetings. She's our contractor and I can ask her to slip your meeting with them in if you want," he explained, the girl's eyes opening up in surprise. Why was he being so nice to her? "There's just a catch," she knew it. . . another person using her. "What about a spar?" he questioned. A strange request…

"Spar? Why?" the girl asked him, wondering just how he would use that to his advantage.

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but you're pretty well known around these parts and it's inevitable to have some of the higher ups push you for physical testing, so that you can join the ranks, you know? If you can handle me then they probably won't need any more proof that you are battle-capable," the man explained once again, the girl shaking her head in disbelief. He really _was_ trying to help her. On the other hand. . .

"Can I ask something in return?" The man nodded. "How do you know who I am and what would you mean by physical testing?" she questioned, the man opening his eyes and shaking his head.

"No experiments! We would just have you go through a boot camp of sorts. It'll save you time!" she gave him something rare, a smile at his friendliness. "As for how we knew you. You had the headpiece and the number in it. . . was one." he explained, her cringing at the remembrance of it. They marked them like animals back in the facility. Each had an accessory with a number on it. And they would just call you by that one number. Nothing else. She had been called "One" for as long as she remembered. . . except for those two. She simply nodded at him, but she had one final request.

"C-can we not use. . . real weapons?" too many memories flared upon her mind when she had first heard the word spar. She felt dirty, like the blood that had stained every single spec of her being was still there. The man, even though he did not seem like the brightest of bulbs for the most part, seemed to pick up on what she meant.

"Wait, they made you. . ."

"Yes," she told him, interrupting his chain of thought. Yes, in the facility, there were no things as _spars_. _Natural Selection_. That's what she remembered from the inside. That's why she hated to fight with every fiber of her being. She had been _selected_ from hundreds already, and she was not even an adult.

"Well, don't worry. Here we have a solution for that. Come with me." he signaled her to follow and follow him she did. Down the stairs and into the court. It was filled to the brim with what the girl could only guess to be new recruits, as they were more focused on target dummies than sparring, instructors blaring out instructions at every chance. Some however, were obviously not, as even in the foggy weather, a strange hair colored archer seemed to hit bull's-eye in all targets without even trying, moving targets twenty meters away. Using a longbow, he even shot a target a whole FIFTY meters away, shutting every archer in the vicinity up as they admired his feat. He simply scuffed and turned back to eye the man beside the girl.

"Nice shot Shinon!" the man congratulated, going closer to the archer and offering him a handshake.

"Commander Ike. . ." Shinon replied with sarcasm dripping from his mouth, ignoring the handshake and focusing his cold gaze on the girl to the side of _Ike_. "I see you are going to have fun with the fresh meat. Just don't spoil it. It'd be a shame." And with that, he simply left, a small boy calling him uncle running after him.

"Don't let Shinon get under your skin. He's just. . . Shinon." Ike told the girl, shrugging and waving his hand. "Rhys! Come over here please!" he exclaimed. A red-haired man with a white gown came to them, followed by a small girl with chocolate hair and small yellow dress.

"Big bro, I know what you want! Can I dull your swords for you?" She asked, jumping up and down as she reached them.

"Mist, calm down. We can't have you dull the swords, if you miss a spot, people can get really hurt," Ike told the girl, his apparent sister being non-too happy about it.

"For your information, Rhys taught me how to do it!" the man simply eyed the redhead, who shrugged in response.

"Fine. . . dull this," he told her, kneeling to his sister and handing a simple, but really well forged sword with a gray handle and a flawless steel blade. The Mist squealed with joy, making our girl, let us just call her One for now (What, you didn't think we'd give you a nem just yet, did you?). One was feeling a mix of relief, happiness and. . . jealously. Yes. Jealousy. She didn't want to admit, but she envied the people here. They had families. Friends. She had never had the first and the second was far too fleeting. "Hey, pick up any sword you'd like. Or weapon, just pick something." Ike told One, the girl simply nodding on and looking at the weapon rack. She knew exactly what kind of weapon fit her best. She reached out for the biggest blade she could find, surprising the onlookers, which had just seen a frail-looking, short girl in her late teens just heave a claymore easily out of the stand with merely one hand.

"This one," One told Mist, laying it on the ground. Mist was at first baffled, but then shook it off, slowly threading her hand throughout the blade, a green, crystalline light being heaved upon it. "How does it work?" One asked, wondering what wondrous magic would've saved the lives of thousands back in the facility.

"It's just a simple Protect spell, slightly altered to go off when the sword is about to hit something. It bruises with the barrier, but it does not cut," she explained. One gritted, clinching her fists tightly.

"They could've stopped it so easily. . ." she mumbled, knowing that there was no way the mages at the facility could not have done it.

"Hey, don't let it get to you. You're safe now," Ike said, laying a hand on her shoulder and nodding. She looked at the hand in shock. How could someone be so nice having only just met her? One slowly nodded back, the show of care being mind-blowing from such a stranger. Maybe not everyone was, as she thought most people to be.

"Done!" Mist exclaimed, the small girl not being able to get the claymore up. Rhys seemed unsatisfied though, kneeling besides her and heaving his hand around the tip of the sword.

"Your spell missed the tip. If she were to stab your brother with this sword, it would go right through him. Please, do be more thorough next time Mist," the little girl's shine flopped harshly on the ground as One took the great-sword into her hand. "Still, a valiant effort. You are growing faster than my wildest expectations!" Rhys told her, rubbing her head and giving some comfort.

Envy. Everyone had someone. . .

"Well, ready?" Ike questioned the girl, swinging his sword once and letting it rest to the side of his shoulder, taking a stance with his other arm free.

"As ready as I'll ever be," One replied, taking the great-sword to her side with one hand.

"After you," Ike stated, signaling her to come. The girl simply nodded and lunged at her blue haired companion, assaulting him with a battery of blows from the blade. The speed of such seemed to surprise Ike, as he did not expect quite this degree of speed from her, using such a big sword with simply one hand. She was just ramming him through with the blade, his attempts at countering could not match the strength behind such a giant blade and his wrist was starting to shiver from the consecutive impact. Much to her surprise though, Ike suddenly stood his ground and blocked the biggest swing of her blade, the grass beneath him soaring with pieces of earth due to the impact. Still, with a roar, he pushed her back. He then jumped, very high for someone with no momentum, quite over her height, swinging his sword downwards as he did. One diverted it from her head but that broke her stance. However, she spotted an opening.

"It's over!" She exclaimed when Ike landed, the cape fluttering and blocking her vision. Still, he was on his back, he could not see the swing she took… right?

"For you!" Ike boomed, the cape blowing away to make way for Ike's sword, catching One's before her swing could take effect. "You're open!" and it found its way into the right side of her jaw. Her vision jittered for several seconds after the impact, her stumbling back in pain. It stopped cuts… but that one would leave a mark. And that is when what she was scared of took effect. Her body suddenly began to heat up as the familiar feeling of a fight to the death took grip on her, a sick smile taking her expression and her look becoming almost feral. She could not control it any longer. Again, she lunged, only this time, it was like a tiger tackling its prey.

Ike got hit time and time again, the second wind of the girl taking him by surprise. Especially her difference in attitude. She knew it and hated it. She was having…fun? No. She was feeling fulfillment. Even if this was not a battle to the death, it had been etched into her body. She was going to survive. She was wailing on the man for her life. That was what her body _knew_, even if it were not true. That seemed to change as Ike's expression brightened up a smidge with a smirk.

"Again!" he exclaimed, finding a flawed swing and blocking it, staggering her. "This is over!" the man exclaimed, viciously hitting her stomach and catapulting her into the wall of the nearby fortress, a bit too high for most tastes, around the second floor.

"Ike! You'll kill. . . her. . ." Rhys gasped as One landed on the wall much like a cat would, if a cat had a paw occupied with a claymore of course. This was no strange situation for her. With a single world, she had bended gravity to her will. Gravity was the word. Simple? Only the name. Even harder was to use it in a way it wouldn't hurt the user. But that hardly mattered. The girl opened her now slit eyes, slit like. . . I'll leave you to guess. In any case, her eyes were taunting Ike.

"This is getting interesting!" he exclaimed, rushing to the walls of the castle and jumping so swiftly and with such power the wind blew from his feet upwards. One swiftly ran down the wall and they clashed midway through, exchanging blows both in the wall and in midair after Ike kicked the wall for leverage. Just before they hit the ground though, one single swing from each clashed in such away the air around them seemed to break, shockwaves being felt by the onlookers. This sent both Ike and One way from each other. However, the girl landed on her knees, her back turned towards her opponent. In the heat of battle, she could only feel her boil ever so close to her limit. But she couldn't stop now… not by herself. She got on her feet and turned… just in time to see Ike ran through her with a blow that bruised her whole chest area, knocking her out of her battle trance and into the ground.

"That's enough! She'd be dead by now!" One heard someone shout from the distance. The man was one clad in an intricate robe and grassy green hair, his arm resting on his katana. "Any more would be pointless," he told Ike.

"I think the same Master Stefan," he agreed before extending his hand to One. "You did a lot better than anyone could imagine. I guess you're this close to being a full-fledged member of the-"

**HoL:TS**

_In orbit of Disney Castle  
__July 20, 2010_

"Strap in, dammit! I don't want you thrown all around like some rag doll and not be able to walk by the time we arrive!" Sora yelled at Riku for the third time. He was getting frustrated with Riku not listening to him. He knew what would happen, Riku didn't, and if he actually did then he was an idiot right now.

"I told you that I'll be fine," Riku said, standing at the door way of the cockpit. His arm was cocked and propped on the door, the other tucked under it. Kairi just sighed as she tensed in her chair, already strapped in. At least _she_ had some sense.

"Riku, I've already told you. Cid's Graviton Particle System, or the GPS, will deactivate for living things once we break through the atmosphere. All inanimate objects will remain in it's pull and unaffected. Now sit down and strap in!" Sora explained. Riku still just stood there. Sora groaned as he started flipping switches and pushing buttons. The engine roared and the warning sounded for all occupants to strap in, as Sora had already tried to tell him.

"Riku, please," Kairi said, trying to turn in the chair and look at him, a failing battle, Sora observed. Sora noticed how the belt pressed in between her breasts, accenting them more. He blushed and looked away, not seeing the puzzled looks they just gave him.

_Nice one, dumb ass. Try not to stare at her so much._

_Sorry. Did she notice?_

_ I don't think so._

Once Sora's face cooled, he turned back around and continued readying the ship. He gave one last look at Riku and back. He pouted a bit before the ship rocked slightly, now descending past the atmosphere. There was a final moment when all was still and then the ship lurched forward and barreled down into a steep dive. Inertia took effect and Riku was thrown and slammed into the back wall with a dull thud. Sora dodged clouds so he could get a clear view and this cause Riku to be thrown back and forth, wall to wall. Curses and moaning came from Riku along with the dull thud and crash. Sora started laughing hysterically. He found this all very funny. He glanced at Kairi and saw a small, very small smile on her face. This lifted him a bit and, just to piss Riku off, he threw in a couple of barrel rolls, nights of playing Star Fox rolling through his head (Do a barrel roll!) and he laughed all the more. After about five minutes of this, Sora and the ship leveled out and decelerated. They were approaching the massive hangar doors of Disney Castle, and yes,_ massive_.

He and Kairi watched and gazed in awe at the hangar as they slowly entered, the warbling sounds of alarms and the high pitched whistles of steam meeting their ears. Pistons riveted and the sound of screeching, cutting metal dominated most of the others. Riku finally made his way to Sora, clutching his ribs and hunched slightly. They saw sparks flying here and there and two little rodents scampering their way towards the Highwind. The ship finally halted and lowered, the pegs of feet that ejected meeting the stainless steel door. Sora made his way to the ramp, waiting for the green light to open it. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, giddy with excitement as Kairi and Riku caught up with him.

"What're you so excited about?" Riku questioned, looking at his friend.

"Come oooonnn!" Sora said, his eyes looking at the darkened bulb, awaiting that green light. The light finally snapped on and the ramp began lowering. He started walking down the moving ramp and answered his best friend's answer.

"'Cause I'm excited to see everybody," he replied. And that was the truth. Even though Donald and Goofy had only left just a short time ago, he was already eager to see them again. Seeing them every single day for nearly two years will do that. He was just about to take off when his gaze, no, his entire attention was torn away at the sight of it. It was massive, one of the biggest things he had ever seen. It could have easily fit a few blitzball stadiums and thousands upon thousands of people. It was only half finished as Sora ran away from everyone and up to it.

"WHOOOOA!" he exclaimed, his nerdy and childish side taking over. He craned his neck back to look up at the largest gummi ship he had ever seen. He was in such a great mood right now that nothing could bring him down, not even Sephiroth. Okay, maybe Sephiroth, but nothing else. His friends joined him and looked up in awe as well.

"Well, I think Sora's reaction is a good sign, eh Chippers?" Dale the chipmunk said as he scurried up Sora's pants and torso, resting on his left shoulder. Chip ascended up to the right shoulder and looked up at the unnamed ship.

"It sure is! I think we're gonna nail this one, Dale, ole buddy ole pal!" Chip replied. Sora just noticed them on his shoulders and grinned at them.

"You two are optimistic as ever!" Sora said. "It's great to see you guys again!" Both Chip and Dale gave Sora a hug around his neck, their wet noses pressing into his skin. He laughed and let them continue sitting on his shoulders as he walked to the gates that led to the castle.

"I'll tell ya," Riku began, directing his voice to Kairi and Sora, "you sure know how to make friends." Sora looked at him and smiled.

"It's not that hard, Riku." Sora continued to the gate, starting to talk to Chip and Dale, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"So what's with the giant ship?" Sora asked the chipmunks. The flitted and messed with their whiskers, seemingly thinking about how to answer Sora's question. The looked at each other and shared a telepathic conversation Sora mused, because they nodded at the same time before looking up at Sora's eyes.

"It'd be best if you wait for His Majesty to let you know," Dale said, Chip nodding and squeaking along with him. Sora just shrugged his shoulders, which nearly toppled the rodents. Sora laughed along with them as they arrived at the gate to take them into the castle. They hopped from his shoulders onto a near shelf. They perched on their hind legs and stared at him, smiles adorned and cheeks puffy.

"What're you guys doin'?" Sora asked, stopping in his tracks, causing his friends to halt abruptly. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"Nah," Chip said, scratching his beady nose with his tiny claws. "We gotta stay here and continue overseeing the work goin' on, right Dale?" He turned to look at his best friend.

"That's right, Chippers," Dale said. "See ya, Sora! It was great seeing ya again!" Chip and Dale said in unison. Sora replied and waved them off, heading out the gate and into the Royal Garden. It was a lush and well-kept garden. The grass was short and soft underfoot. The earth was spongy, yet firm and the aroma was fresh and crisp, carrying scents of flowers, pollen, and summer air through the wind, coursing through his nostrils and senses. He exhaled in that freshness, it was a homely feeling, something he would never know just how much he would miss in the future. Birds sang, bugs made whatever sound bugs make, and the wind rustled the growing and lively flowers. The sound of people training in the distance met his ears. He waltzed the path, knowing his way, leaving Kairi and Riku to look and take in what was Disney Castle.

"So this is it, huh?" Riku said. It was no secret that he and King Mickey had become very good friends, and so it was natural for him to wonder at the place that his friend lived and, in this case, ruled. Sora looked over at him as they left the warm sun and into the cool corridors of the castle, the stark, white, brick walls were massive and adorned with banners, paintings, and knight statues.

"Yep! Magnificent, isn't it?" Sora asked, his eyes darting around the familiar castle. It felt good to be back here, if only for such a short time. Then there it was, the massive double doors to King Mickey's court. They were insanely large for anyone or anything. Kairi looked up, puzzled.

"Why are they so big?" she questioned, looking up their scale, so colossal.

"Just wait," he replied. He laughed on the inside. The first time he had seen the small doors that actually led in, he had laughed uncontrollably. He was eager to see their responses compared to his own. He approached, turned to see a bored face on Riku and a curious one on Kairi. He turned back around and knocked on the left door. He nodded at them as the door swung inward and they entered the court. After walking down the ridiculously long carpet, Sora saw that only King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and some girl (a human!) he had never met before were the only ones in the court. He marveled at how empty this room truly was as they halted before the King. Sora saluted him, Kairi curtsied, and Riku walked over and roughly picked him up in a fierce hug. Only Riku would have the gall to do such a thing. King Mickey squealed and squeaked in mild shock, then returned the hug. Riku placed him gently back on the throne and returned to the sides of Sora and Kairi. Sora laughed on the inside at that. Even the King himself had to let loose and enjoy the small things as well. Queen Minnie giggled at her husband, and this in turn made Kairi giggle.

_Girls,_ Sora thought.

_Where would we be without them?_ Roxas asked.

_It would be a sad place, would it not?_

_It would._

King Mickey stood up and took off his crown and placed it on his throne. He smoothed his fur back and looked at them all with tired and wise eyes, eyes that had seen it all and seen it all again. He sighed before plopping on his butt and leaning back against the throne. He was tired, stressed, worn out. Butter scrapped over too much bread.

"Mickey!" Riku shouted, by his side faster than Minnie. Sora did not find this surprising. "Mickey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice cracked with concern, a rare thing.

"Yeah, Riku," he replied with a sigh. He looked his beady little eyes up into Riku's. They said more and it was if, like Chip and Dale, they shared a silent conversation. After a tense moment, Riku rejoined his friends again.

"Welp, you are probably wondering why you are here, so we might as well get this started," the King said. He snapped his fingers and chairs appeared for the teens, including the random girl. She sat on the King's left, Minnie on his right. The teens sat before him. They didn't know he could do such magic. To just make objects. Sora shrugged it off, eager to hear their mission. He would soon learn that it was missions. Plural, and not at all how he expected.

"So, why are we here?" Sora asked, his bubbly voice caught in the excitement. He bounced slightly and awaited the briefing. _Come on!_

"Okay, first," he sighed heavily and looked those black eyes toward Minnie. That silent conversation again. She nodded for him to continue. He did.

"Maleficent is at work."

Sora's heart crushed. Of all the things he was expecting, it had not been Maleficent. He felt ire bubble down within him. That childish attitude being replaced by the adult for once. For a rare moment. He hated her and everything she had caused. Why couldn't she stay dead? Why? Was that such a hard request? But apparently, King Mickey wasn't bothered by it right now, and that helped Sora a bit. At least she wasn't an intergalactic threat anymore. Or so he thought.

"She has control of too many heartless. Millions, and that is no exaggeration. She is planning an invasion of the worlds, swallowing each with her Heartless army. Aurora, Snow White, and Alice have been reported missing for about a few days now. She is after Kingdom Hearts again, and she may get it if she keeps this rate up." There was something in the King's voice. Something so serious it put fear into Sora's heart. It hadn't seemed serious in the letter, but now it seemed serious in his voice.

"Here is what I need," he said, clasping his hands together and knocking his head on the throne. He closed his eyes and opened them again.

"Sora, I need you to take Kairi and Merideth and go around the worlds, sealing as many Keyholes as you can. It is simple enough, you should have no problem with it. This will give me enough time to raise a small enough army to take her out at The Castle That Never Was," he said. The implements of this hit Sora like a

(dull _thud_ into the bone, flesh ripping and—)

hammer. War? King Mickey could _not_ be talking of war! Invasion? This was too much, and who the hell was Merideth? As if reading his mind, King Mickey held his arm out.

"Sora, Kairi, Riku, and why not, Roxas and Naminé, you get out here, too." They did, the Oblivion on Roxas' waist and Oathkeeper on Naminé's. They stretched and smiled, happy to be free for a bit. They looked at each other and smiled, love passing between them. Why couldn't he and Kairi be like that?

"All of you, this is our new ally, Merideth. Her world has recently been destroyed and she has proved herself as a loyal companion and servant. She will be of great benefit to you." Okay, time for the description.

Merideth was a girl of normal height, about Kairi's height. She had long curly blond hair, almost like Naminé's color. Behind those locks and bangs were ruby red eyes. They were caring and lovely, yet calculating and efficient. She had a pale complexion with many freckles and a cute face with a cuter nose. She had long and slender legs making up most of her height and she was not as endowed as most of the women Sora had met on his journeys. She wore newer clothing, no doubt provided Queen Minnie and it didn't seem to suit her. But she wore an old amulet, no doubt a memento of her home world. It was a ruby in a gold setting with a gold chain. The ruby was the same as her eyes, the chain the same as her hair. She was cute, that was for sure, but his heart belonged to Kairi. Merideth would definitely break many hearts one day.

"It's nice to meet you all, after everything His Majesty has told me, that is," she said quietly but assertively. She was kind, but to the point, Sora observed. He may not be the most mature of the group, but he could read a person like a book. This was a young woman, because she was sixteen, that could and would get the job done no matter what, and be nice the entire time. So calm, so nice. She _would_ make a nice addition to the team. Everyone introduced themselves and they continued, or at least tried to before Sora interrupted the King..

"Wait! What about Riku!?" he exclaimed the idea finally hitting him. _Sora, I need you to take Kairi and Merideth and go around the worlds. . ._ Riku's name hadn't been mentioned. The king exhaled loudly, sagging his shoulders slightly.

"Riku," he said looking directly at the teen, "I want you to travel between Radiant Garden, Destiny Islands and Twilight Town. You are to oversee the training of the forces at each. Leon has informed me that he has a young woman he would want to travel with you as a representative of the Garden." Riku just nodded his understanding, not even the young woman flashed any signs of emotion. The only emotion found there was what Sora was feeling in his heart. Despair. He did not want to leave Riku again. But they had been through worse, right? They could overcome this, beat Maleficent, and then _finally_ return to the islands in peace, where they belong. But no, they had to wait a little longer, push a little harder.

"Does everyone understand their missions?" Mickey asked. Everyone tensed up and replied affirmatively.

"Good, now, each and every one of you are to report to that room right over there," he said, pointing a gloved finger at a peculiar door. Sora had never noticed this door before. It was odd and looked out of place.

"They can only have that there for a limited time, so hop to!" the King ordered. The four teens, Roxas and Naminé having returned to their Somebodies, reached the door and entered. They now stood in Master Yen Sid's Tower, the Fairy Room to be exact. And there, before them, were Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. They were already bickering about the clothing as the heroes stepped in. Sora was eager for some new clothing ever since he had gotten what he was wearing right now from them. Maybe he would get some new powers, some new forms! The idea excited him, but then again, a lot of things did.

"Oh!" Merryweather exclaimed at seeing the four teenagers. Flora and Fauna turned as well and their eyes grew hungry, always wanting to show off their powers for design.

"Sora!" Flora exclaimed, rushing over towards him, prodding him with her wand. "Oh yes, Fauna, his clothes are small, much too small." They weren't really, but he wasn't going to deny new clothes.

"We'll save him for last, and remember, the clothes are going to have powers!" Fauna said, eying Merideth. "Let's start with the one we've already met, aside from Sora." They all agreed with her. Merideth took the floor as sparks and beams of magic went flying. Arguing commenced as the fairies argued over color. Now red, then green, back to red, now blue, again green. It continued like this until they _finally_ decided to work together. On the count of three, they cast the same spell, and Merideth's outfit was stunning.

She was outfitted with startling red combat boots, a ruby red, Sora observed. The straps then continued up her shin a bit in a criss-crossing manner, ending at the knee. Each leg had sheathes on these straps, but they were hard to spot, easy for a dagger to be concealed completely. She wore a red skirt, just covering the knees. It's hem was white and it had white floral patterns and swirls. The one piece, Sora now saw, continued into a top of the same design. On the left side of the top it was stark white, and then tendrils of floral patterns and wisps would wrap to the other side, where it was that stark ruby red in contrast. It was sleeveless, but she was outfitted with white bracers. The amulet stayed the same. At the waist was a neat black, leather belt. It held the oddest pouches Sora had ever observed, and for what reason? He assumed he would learn in the near future. In addition to the belt was a black strap crossing her like a seat belt, the sheathe on the back obviously used for staffs. It fit her quite well, both physically and fashionably.

"Oh, you look amazing, dearie," Fauna said with a clasp of her hands. The other fairies agreed along with Sora and Kairi. Riku just gruffly nodded. Merideth thanked them before heading out and back into Disney Castle.

"Okay, now who is next?" Merryweather said, examining Riku and Kairi. "You!" she said grabbing Riku by the arm. He yanked it back and stopped.

"You will not touch my clothing, I am sorry." And with that, he left without another word.

"Well, he's to the point," Flora said, her face contorted into one as if she had smelled something foul. She shook it off as Sora did. Riku usually did not act like this. "Well, you're next missy," Fauna said, pulling Kairi over. Kairi had a large smile on her face and was expectant for a new outfit. Again, colors were argued over, but finally the outfit was made. Sora's jaw dropped and luckily Kairi didn't see this. His heart began racing and his hormones began rushing with his hot blood. He could barely control himself. If Merideth had been stunning, then Kairi was both amazingly beautiful and drop-dead sexy at the same time.

All the colors were black, white, and pink. What was to be expected out of Kairi? She wore sleek, adventuring shoes, black underneath and a pink and white pattern on the top. White laces, too. She had very tight, yet comfortable and flexible black leggings that ran down to just above the knee. Covering her womanhood and dignity was a dark pink skirt that nearly matched her hair. It had white splashes of color with tinges of black running through the white. A similar belt was attached to her waist. It was white and her top was black, the shirt tucked in. In the same manner of Sora, she had a short-sleeved jacket over the black tee. The sleeves ended in between her shoulders and elbows, exposing her biceps. The jacket was that same dark pink. The armholes had black outlines and the hem of it was black as well. It had a dark pink hood with a white inside. The entire jacket was white on the inside for that matter. The same zippers were there and it was an enticing outfit. Sora wiped his mouth a bit, realizing he was slightly drooling. She didn't see that either, thank god.

"Well, Sora, what do you think?" she asked as the fairies complimented themselves. He was at a loss of words. Anything he tried to get out would come out as coughs and dryness. It was no use.

_Oh, come on man! Pull it together!_

_ I'm t- trying. . ._

And that he was. She stopped, her smile slowly changing into a pout. She looked at him with sad eyes.

"You don't like it, do you." That! That right there snapped him back to the world.

"No, Kairi. I love it. You look beautiful in it," he replied.

_Nice save, buck-o._

She rushed over and hugged him, throwing his nerves back into haywire mode. He returned the hug shakily. Then she left. It was his turn.

**HoL:TS**

Kairi was looking down at her own outfit, happy with it. Sora liked it! She liked it, but most of all, he said she looked beautiful in it. Her heart was soaring in the clouds and her thoughts were just as high, aloof with love. It was taking them a while to work with Sora's new clothing. They had taken about five minutes for each her and Merideth. Now, it had been twenty minutes since she had left him in there, leaving with his compliment in her heart, locked away forever. She waited, though. Taking this long, it_ had _to be fabulous. It just had to and—

_Oh. My. God. He was cute before, now he's just HOT!_

_Calm yourself, _Princess_. Remember you are a princess after all._

Kairi took no notice of Naminé. Sora looked amazing as he emerged from the room, the door wavering and then vanishing behind him. The color scheme was black, white and red. He had black shoes with a white underlay. They had white and red flecks, twirls and traces throughout. White laces lay over the top. He had the same kind of shorts he had worn just a half an hour ago. The colors were different this time. They had a white base on the legs with a black groin. It had a red outline of stitching around the groin and black stitching down the white legs. Flecks and twirls of red adorned the white shorts, creating different and intricate patterns. He has criss-crossing black belts and straps over them and dark gray pouches with white stitching on them as well. He had a black and tucked in undershirt just like she did. The jacket that lay over it was black at the hem and transcended to white as it reached the collar, a great and stylish effect. There were red seems and stitching on it and it ended with a pure white hood. He turned around for show and he exposed a golden crown that represents the one he always wears around his neck on the jacket's back. It had a black outline stitching. He wore some pure ebony gloves, his silver necklace, and that goofy, boyish grin to top it off. Her heart melted. Her heart pounded as well and her face flushed. She was in love, there was no doubt. Well the only doubt there was if he loved her back. She knew he didn't.

**HoL:TS**

"Now, take Riku to Radiant Garden for me, Sora," King Mickey said in the hangar. Sora didn't need to ask what the giant ship was for. It was for war. Invasion. He stretched a bit in his new clothes. The fairies told them they had special powers needing to be unlocked and that they shared an ability of self-repairing. He was grateful for that, that was for sure.

"Yes, your Majesty," Sora replied. And then King Mickey hugged Sora. It was rare, never happening before. Sora, not knowing how to react, knelt down and hugged the mouse. Then King Mickey whispered something in Sora's ear, and it brought dread to Sora's heart. He nodded at King Mickey as he rose and entered the ship, Riku, Kairi and Merideth following him onto it. They took off and set sail for Radiant Garden. Sora went to be early that night, brooding over what King Mickey had told him. He fell asleep, trying to forget that and focus on the now.

He had an uneasy sleep, his heart _thudding_ with expectation and fear.

* * *

TN: Ooooh, Fire Emblem cast ensemble. . . I've been wanting to reveal this sooner or later.

TUH: I just love feeling like a prick. One prick to rule them all.  
TUH: See what I did there?

TN: And in the darkness, prick them.

TUH: No. No. Stop it Tor. Bad Tor! No rape!

TN: Do you want demoted again Or would you rather see the roses like me?

TUH: Roses? HA GA-

TN: DEMOTION!  
TN: You know, with all of your demotions, we're running out of lower levels in the-

*FALCON PUNCH!*

TUH: STOP! SPOILING! IN! EVERY! SINGLE! POST-CHAPTER NOTE!

TN: Want to give *coughs blood* them a teaser for the next chapter?

TUH: Okay, just hurry it up for the sign out!

* * *

TN: Okay, teaser time. How about one of the cast narrates it. MALEFICENT, come here!

Maleficent: Why me? Why not the Keyblade fool?

TN: Because _I_ said so, now read!

Maleficent: *sigh*

The gummis ship rocked violently as the transcended through the unknown world's atmosphere. They lowered toward the surface and it lurched violently, rocking the passengers more violently.

"Where the hell did you learn to fly?" Roxas said, holding his new Keyblade. (Why does he get a new wea- Just shut up read Maleficent!)

"Is, that- a tornado? Are you telling me you landed us in a massive tornado? Dumbass!"

"Shut it Roxas!"

* * *

TN: That was a nice teaser. You should be able to get the world right there from that. If you have any guesses, leave it in the review or in a PM. Now for the sign off.

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is Lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	4. The Gift of Anuwëy

TUH: This chapter is totally my spotlight.

TN: Yes, totally. . .  
TN: Do you like how it turned out?

TUH: I'm surprised at it actually.  
TUH: Not my part, I'm a genius, but yours.

TN: You are lucky that I hired the Lunarians to build lower levels for your demotions, which you have just earned one.

TUH: Lunarian architecture! AWESOME!

TN: You need _something_, right?  
TN: Let's move to the chapter, shall we?

TUH: I'ltorien wins. Flawless Victory. Fatality.

TN: Yes and the very end is a surprise! That and the Doctor. . .

TUH: Another spoiler. . . spoiler. . .  
TUH: FALCON. . . . . .

* * *

Sora: Due to TorNathan being in medical attention, by none other than Aerith Gainsborough, our very finest healer, who by the way-

Kairi: Sora get to the Disclaimer!

Sora: Oh, yeah. . . I am here to tell you that TorNathan and The Unknowing Herald do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix or Fire Emblem.

Kairi: Now for shout outs!

* * *

One: I wish I could have my name! Anyway, shout outs to PenguinLord352 for his help in the earlier chapters for finding many mistakes!

One: Also to TheJadeDragon37 for being the beta for this!

King: Now onto the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter IV**

**The Gift of Anuwëy**

_In Orbit of Radiant Garden  
__July 22, 2010_

"Cid to Highwind, I repeat, Cid to Highwind. Do you come in, Sora?" Sora relaxed in his chair when he heard the old man's gruff voice. It was comforting to hear one of his old friends' voice again, no pun intended.

"Hiya Cid!" Sora responded. The world of the Radiant Garden rotated below them, massive and broad. It seemed larger than what it was last time he had been here, which in all reality wasn't that long ago.

"About time yer answered back!" he replied, coughing a bit from a cigarette, no doubt. "Now, you can land on behind Merlin's house. The gummi hangar isn't ready for too many ships right now. You'll know the back of Merlin's house when y'all see it. Pretty empty, just like his common sense, if yer ask me." This earned a chuckle from the group before they heard loud thumps sounding from the transmitter. Just when they were about to ask what was going on, Cid's voice met their ears once again.

"Ye old coot, stop chuckin' them books at me! I swear yer as crazy as a penguin!" Sora thought that was probably the weirdest insult he had ever heard. Then Merlin's voice cracked in, huffy and angry, very irritated.

"P- p- penguin?! I'll show _you_ penguin!" And Cid's voice cut off. There was silence, then an almighty loud squawk! Then another. Did Merlin just—

"Sora?" It was Yuffie.

"Yuffie! How's it going?" Sora asked, excited at hearing his ninja friend's voice again.

"Good, but due to some technical difficulties—squawk!—Cid can't talk right now. See ya in a bit!" She said hurriedly. Then her voice was faint. "Merlin! Change him back now!" Sora cut the transmission and readied the ship for entrance to the world. He looked over at Riku, who was snugly strapped into his chair this time. Sora nodded at him and Riku just glared back, not without the hint of a smile. Sora smiled back at him, then Kairi, then Merideth, and they took off!

Sora thought back. It was weird to have someone he had never met before fly with them. Merideth had shared a room with Kairi, and the two had already become friends. She was quiet and mainly kept to herself. Sora had thought that she was just nervous to be in their company, probably in awe at hearing what they have done already. She was very neat and clean, Kairi had told them. She also kept by a strict schedule, eating the three meals of the day at the exact same time every time. This was just about as opposite as you could get from Sora. Not only that, but she woke up at the same time, to the very second. And to top it off, she had a bed time she followed. Sora did not pay attention to this one, but he thought she even used the bathroom at exact times. She may have been very strict and to the point with things, but she was nice and caring, so she was a-okay in Sora's book.

After much turbulence, fluctuation, and changes in atmospheric pressure, the group landed in Merlin's back lot, it being just the perfect amount of space. The four of them descended the ramp and walked into the morning sun of Radiant Garden. Sora was just taking in his new surroundings, surroundings he had never been accustomed to, for he had never been behind Merlin's house before. It had flat, bare pavement, nothing else. Other houses bordered it and he saw some people peeking through windows and looking at the newcomers. They weren't accustomed to having gummi ships in their back yards, well, lots. He saw some of their faces brighten as they looked at him. He was just wondering why when—

"Argh!" Sora grunted as he was slammed to the ground, a body pressed against him, arms wrapped around his body. Raven hair brushed his face and soft skin met his. Giggling resounded into his chest and from around him and the person on top of him. Wispy smoke cleared the area around him. He coughed a couple times as the smoke cleared completely.

"Sora! I missed you! It's great to see ya again!" That voice was none other than—

"Yuffie!" Sora exclaimed as they got up. He gave her a more calm hug, smiling a wide grin. Kairi ran up and gave Yuffie a hug as well once he and Yuffie broke apart.

"Kairi! You're here too? They never told us you would be coming!" Yuffie exclaimed. "And Sora," Yuffie said sternly. He instantly tensed up, not liking the change in her voice. "It's the Great Ninja Yuffie to you!" she told him, a smile breaking her face. He released his tension and mentally waved it away.

"Got it, Yuffie," he replied, purposely not saying the title. She smirked at him before turning to Riku and Merideth.

"And you are?" she asked, looking intently at the two "strangers". Sora walked up to her right side, Kairi on her left, and made the introductions. Or at least _tried_ to make them. Yuffie had stopped him with a raised hand.

"Just wait 'til the rest are out here. It'll be easier," she told him. That made perfect sense to him and he waited. In about a minute, Merlin's back door opened and the rest of the Restoration Committee had exited the house, all of them—well, almost all of them—looked excited. Sora looked around at all them. There was Merlin, of course. His blue robes, matching hat, and white beard—reaching to the ground—made up his attire. That and his clumsy and scatter-brained personality. He looked a bit frazzled and hectic at the moment. He gave them a brief smile before furrowing his bushy eyebrows. Sora glanced over and saw that next to him was. . . a penguin? A penguin with a cigarette in it's mouth?

"Oh, sorry lads," Merlin said. He waved his wand above the penguin, rapped it roughly on the head, and it transformed into a human. That human was Cid. His work clothes were torn a bit and oily, worn down by work. He had already proclaimed a fresh cigarette into his mouth and was smoking away at it, glaring at the old "codger" next to him. Sora took a mental note to ask him later how _that_ had went down. Continuing the chain was a beautiful and young woman. Brown braids, adorned with a red bow and matching red and pink dress made her stand out as a lighthearted person. It was Aerith. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Now, he may not have looked excited, but Cloud (ex-SOLDIER First Class, and spiky, blond, muscle-head) hid his feelings quite well. He gave Sora the smallest of smiles, a nod, and then his face returned to the blank look. Aerith turned to look at him, gave him a peck on the cheek and then turned back. His cheeks slightly pinked, and he looked away, his black clothing billowing. One more mental note added.

Aside from his cold manner, there was another cold man. He wasn't _as_ emotionless as Cloud, but he could compete. Next down was Squall, but he liked to be called Leon for whatever reason. Sora planned to ask him one day. Leon nodded and smiled at him, moving his brown hair out of his eyes, revealing that horrid scar. That was another question Sora needed to ask. His eyes then moved to Tifa. Sora didn't know her well, but he knew it was one of Cloud's only friends, apparently friends since young childhood. She waved at him with a bright smile, her hands covered with fighting gauntlets. Then next to her was—

"Axel!?" Roxas screamed, ejecting from Sora's mind and running at the man, Keyblade jangling at his waist. He crushed Axel into a hug and was returned with one. Sora felt all his emotions elate at seeing his Other being this happy. He could even _feel_ Roxas' emotions radiating inside his own heart. But, what was Axel doing here? How had he survived? Sora had _seen_ him fade away into nothingness.

"Yep, it's me alright, for now," he said, a bit glumly. What did he mean for now? "Got it memorized, kiddo?" He gave Roxas another hug. Roxas backed away and stood with Sora, Naminé now appearing next to him and giving him her own hug. She understood what he was going through at that moment, and she must have thought that hug would help; Sora would never know.

"Ah, how fascinating!" Merlin said, approaching the whole Roxas and Naminé. He observed the duo closely, eying the Oblivion and Oathkeeper on their waists. He stroked his chin in thought, eyes slim and brows furrowed deeper yet. He then changed his face, looked at them and smiled brightly. "Come with me, you two," he said, turning and walking for his house, now three stories instead of one. It even had an odd lean to it that would bring any normal three story house down, but Sora had a suspicion it was held up with magic. An owl, Archimedes, took flight from the tallest window. Sora and Kairi watched their Nobodies follow the old mage, faces contorted into confusion as to why he wanted them.

"Hey, Sora, it's good to see you again," Leon said, extending his hand toward Sora. Sora returned the shake and began the introductions.

"Okay, for all of those who don't know, this is Kairi. This is my best friend, Riku. And this is our newest friend and ally sent by the King, Merideth. Those two that followed Merlin were Roxas and Naminé, our Nobodies," he said, indicating each as he called them out.

"Guys this is Cid, Aerith, Cloud, Leon, Tifa, Axel, and Yuffie," he continued, indicating them as well. Everybody greeted each other in a flurry of handshakes and smiles, not in Cloud or Riku's case. Sora thought that they would make good friends.

"So what's been going on here?" Sora asked as all eleven of them made their way into Merlin's house, making the total fourteen. It's a good thing that it's three stories, Sora thought. They all crammed into the first floor. Sora was the last in and saw that more magic was at work. Just like the Highwind, the entire inside was magically redone to be larger on the inside than on the outside. Sora gazed around and saw computers everywhere, tables with papers and maps of the worlds, lists, and one massive computer. It looked like Ansem's computer, and on further inspection, realized it was. Tron appeared on the screen.

"Ah, Sora, my friend! How are you?" Tron asked, a smile on his face. Sora replied and continued to look around as Tron became acquainted with Kairi, Riku, and Merideth. Aerith must have seen the puzzled look on Sora's face, because she walked up to him and began explaining.

"After the battle, a lot of homes were lost, so the entire committee lives here now, courtesy of Merlin and his magic. The first floor is where all the politics happen, because Leon was elected Governor of Radiant Garden due to Ansem's death. They also can't find the true heir, but he did mention having a child." This was all a lot for Sora to take in at once. Leon was governor? The entire committee lived here? Ansem has an unknown child? His head reeled and Aerith giggled.

"Come on, let me show you around," she said. Sora nodded and followed her, leaving Kairi, Riku, and Merideth to meet everyone. They walked towards a staircase next to a door. Excited and loud voices could be heard on the other side. "That room is Merlin's study. That's probably where he took Roxas and Naminé," she told him. He stared at it a bit longer before following her up the stairs. They came to a very long hall way with doors on either side and a staircase at the very end.

"These are the living quarters. Each one is much larger on the inside, and each has their own bathroom. Come on, I'll show you mine," Sora just dumbly nodded as he followed Aerith. All the girls were on the right side with the guys on the left side. Name plaques were on each door. Cloud was right across from Aerith. _How convenient._ She opened the door an let him in. It was very clean and rather large. It had a queen sized bed and the colors were pink and red. Actually, every thing was pink and red. The walls were covered with pictures of cats and moogles. At her dresser was a framed picture of Cloud and Aerith. She saw him looking at that and blushed.

"Oh that's- well, its," she stuttered, her face growing to match the room. Sora winked at her and said, "I understand Aerith." She smiled at him and thanked him. They left her room and continued upstairs to the top floor. The stairs took forever to traverse, but they finally reached the top. All the walls were glass, and it was a circular room. In the middle was a long executive conference table. Sora noticed another door at the other side of the room.

"This is where Leon holds meetings with different people of Radiant Garden and some other worlds like Twilight Town. It has it's own separated entrance via elevator. It also serves as a view point over all of Radiant Garden. If you look, you'll see how much bigger it has gotten. We had to build entire new districts to accompany the increasing population size. Maleficent is certainly going to work at destroying world after world. The refugees end up her or at Disney castle, like Merideth."

Sora walked over to the window-wall and gazed over the city. Due to Merlin's magic, this seemed like the tallest point in the city, and it was. He looked down at the marketplace, and saw that it had expanded into multiple small buildings and numerous stalls. People bustled throughout all of it buying and selling items and even food in a small corner. There were new districts all over the edges of the city and a new wall constructed to protect from anything that might come from the Great Maw. It was true, it had greatly expanded, and he would have loved to go and roam, but he was here on a mission.

"Hey Aerith, can I go speak with—" Just then a scream and shuffled movement, accompanied by something falling, came from the first floor. They looked at each other and rushed down to the first floor. Everyone was huddled in one corner and group facing a lone man. All the men stood in front of the women, weapons drawn, readied for battle. All except Yuffie, she was ready, too. Even Roxas was there with, a new Keyblade? That wasn't important though. He needed to see who the _single_ person was to alarm them so much. He looked and his heart froze. Everything about him froze.

It was Sephiroth.

"Ah, the Keyblade's Chosen One. How are you?" Did Sephiroth, the one and only great Sephiroth, just ask him a question? And of all questions, did Sephiroth just ask how he was, as if they were friends?

"I asked you a question, _Sora_," Sephiroth said. He took a step towards Sora. He didn't have his immense Masamune katana with him, and that eased Sora a tad. But it was no reason to not be cautious. Sephiroth did not need that sword to kill any of them. He stopped right in front of Sora, flicking his very long silver hair and adjusting his armor and clothing. He stared at Sora with aquamarine eyes, cold and penetrating.

"How did you learn my name?" Sora asked, finally breaking from his trance. He made eye contact with the ex-SOLDIER and felt fear and ice seep into him. Sephiroth smiled a cruel and tight-lipped smirk. Where were his wings?

"It doesn't take a lot to track down information on someone once I've set my mind to it," he replied. Sora had a feeling that wasn't the whole thing. Sephiroth then looked at the rest of the group, all in the same corner. This made Sora realize he was out in the open, an arms reach within Sephiroth. He looked like he had just now noticed them and as if they gave him some shock.

"Ah, and who do we have here?" he said stepping towards them. They all readied their weapons threateningly. He stopped and looked at them with that damn smirk. "Get away from me, _us_, NOW!" Cloud threatened, but held his ground. He wasn't going to do something unless it was provoked.

"I do not mean you harm, scout's honor," he said with a slight chuckle. "Ah, Cloud," he said, ruffling Cloud's spiky hair. Cloud swatted his hand away.

"What do you want here Sephiroth?" Cloud asked him through gritted teeth, taking an arm and placing Aerith directly behind him. "I was wondering when you would ask that. It looks like fear still catches that tongue," Sephiroth replied.

"I don't need your damn opinions!" Cloud retorted.

"Tsk, tsk, Cloud. You need to calm that ever burning anger. Well it certainly isn't to harm any of you, I had planned to see Sora and ask him to test against me again. But I have this strange feeling that none of you will allow this." It was more a statement than a question.

_What's with him and wanting to fight me?_

_Just don't piss this dude off. I would hate to see him angry._

_ You have no idea, dude._

"Just leave us alone!" Kairi said, pushing her way past the guys, standing right before him. _That_ was gutsy.

"And you must be. . ." He paused and thought for a moment, then his face changed to revelation. "You must be Kairi," he said stroking her hair and lightly caressing her chin. Sora's blood boiled.

"I swear if you hurt her. . ." Sora growled through his anger. The Oblivion flashed in his hand and he took a step towards Sephiroth, readying it. A small wind formed around Sora, his anger transforming into magic, affecting his surroundings. That display, the wind rustling around him, shocked everyone, even Sephiroth. But that surprise was gone in a flash. Sephiroth turned at him, his hand now on her cheek. "I wouldn't even dream of harming a hair on her head," he patted her cheek and walked towards Sora and stopped.

After a tense moment, Sephiroth sighed. "I guess not. However, Keyblade Master," he said, directing his voice and piercing gaze at Sora. "I will test your strength to is maximum one day, be assured." And with that, he was consumed in a bright light, and gone, leaving behind a single feather. Everyone walked to a closet and stored their weapons there, except for the Keyblade wielders. Roxas dismissed his new one and Sora saw that Naminé had a new one as well. She walked over and picked up the angelic black feather. She observed it and then went to Merlin. After a minute or two, after he also examined it thoroughly, he handed it back to Naminé.

"Kairi, could you put this in your bag for me?" Naminé asked, giving the feather to Kairi and dismissing her Keyblade.

"Why would I, or you for that matter, keep anything that was _his_?" Kairi asked.

"Well, you know how much I love to draw. I was going to use that for fine lines and my signature. Merlin said it was safe to keep," Naminé explained, almost pleaded. Kairi huffed and put it in her bag. Sora shook off the thought of keeping anything by that_ man_. He then called Riku, Kairi and Merideth over.

"Riku," he began. Riku looked at him expectantly. "You have munny, right?" Riku nodded his hand and jingled a pouch at his belt. Sora then continued to Kairi and Merideth. He unhooked the clasp that held his own munny.

"Now girls, I'm going to give you each some munny. Take it and go buy some clothes and anything you will want. I'm going to do the same and use some to fix up the ship. See ya back here by noon. That'll be when we leave," he told them, now digging through his pouch.

"Sora, you don't have to, and besides, clothes are expensive," Kairi said, Merideth just nodding in support. He looked at her and laughed. He procured some munny.

"S- Sora, how much _is_ that?" Kairi asked, not believe what her eyes were telling her.

"200,000 munny. Fifty for each of us and fifty towards the ship. Go and have fun while I get her ready!" Sora said. Kairi squealed in shock and delight and thanked Sora before rushing out the door. She came back in to get Merideth, but she stopped Kairi.

"I'll be out in a moment," she said sternly. Kairi just pouted and waited outside. Merideth watched her go before focusing her attention back to Sora. She sighed before looking at him with those deep red eyes.

"Sora, I know that you barely know me and—"

"Merideth, you are mine and Kairi's friend now. More importantly, you are our new and trusted ally. I want you to take this and go have a good time. It's okay, I have much more than just this 200,000. Just don't tell Kai that, okay?" he said with a coy wink. Merideth did something he hadn't expected. She giggled. Maybe this was the first sign of her loosening up around Sora and his friends.

"Thank you, Sora," she said before leaving with Kairi. Now that that was over, Sora made his way for Cid to ask about tuning up the Highwind. The man himself was actually outside looking at the ship. Sora lightly jogged to him as he was examining the hull.

"Howdy there Sora, what can I help ya with?" he asked, spotting the young Keybearer.

"I was wondering how much 50,000 munny would help to fix this ship up?" Sora said, looking up at the older man. Cid chuckled, which then became booming laughter. He coughed and hacked through the years of smoking before regaining his composure.

"After everything you've done for not only Radiant Garden, but _all_ of the worlds, consider it free. Be back here around noon to see her in top shape," Cid said. Sora's day just got brighter at a free gummi ship tune up, and by Cid himself. The old man smiled down at him.

"Thanks, Cid. Are you sure, though?" Sora asked. He was still willing to pay for the job. Cid just about changed his mind with that look.

"If you don't leave me be, then I may just charge you. Now go! Enjoy the day!" Cid shouted at him. Sora did not need Cid telling him again, so he left back into Merlin's house. And just like Sora thought they would, Riku and Cloud were talking by themselves. And they were both smiling and chuckling? What the hell? Sora shook it off as he found Roxas and Naminé admiring their new Keyblades.

Roxas' was, in what Sora thought, just plain bad ass. The chain was the same symbol as the pendant, which was very fitting. The handle was checkered black and white. The cross-guard was black and jagged, vicious looking. The hilt that led up to the shaft had the symbol of the Nobodies and spikes protruding from it. The shaft was curved, silver, and jagged, just as vicious as the rest. But the teeth. . . those were truculent. The shaft did a loop of sorts into the teeth. There was a black and white semicircle which had four black and white spikes blasted through it. This was not only a blade of destruction, but of light and darkness.

"What's it's name, Roxas?" In answer, he showed Sora the chain and emblem. Inscribed on the emblem in black script was _Two Become One_. Sora marveled over the blade, but he liked his Oblivion much more.

"It's a fitting title," and then he glanced at Naminé's. It had a black grip, with a golden and spiky cross-guard. The chain was a star, and inscribed was _Aubade_. The shaft was slim like a katana and a steel color. The teeth consisted of of a turquoise and golden symbol similar to the Nobody emblem and a semicircle with spikes, almost rays like a sun. It was basic, but it fit her basic lifestyle. Sora nodded his approval, even though they didn't need it. He liked their Keyblades, and that meant they could fight with him, so he can use his as well.

Sora glanced around and realized he had no one to hang out with. That, and he had 100,000 munny to just go and spend. He decided on that and left the house, going towards the market place. He passed many people he had never met before and continued on his way, up stairs, down alleys, and all over. He was just passing Scrooge McDuck's Ice Cream Parlor when a very interesting person ran into him.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that," the man said, picking up this odd contraption. It was glowing green. A woman ran up behind him.

"Doctor, I don't think there's anything wrong here. I don't see any Daleks." What the hell is a Dalek?

"No, but there is _something_ wrong with this machine outside this here parlor," the Doctor, or whoever he was said. He used his small contraption and it made many odd noises, chiefly a faint whir. He pointed it all over the ice box outside the parlor before exclaiming, "AHA, got you now!" He put the thing in his mouth and started yanking at a compartment on the box.

"Maybe you shouldn't put the Sonic Screwdriver in your mouth, Doctor," she said, taking it from him.

"Ah, thank you Amy," he replied to the girl that Sora now knew as Amy. But what was his name?

"You, lad, come 'ere and help me with this," he said. Sora didn't know him, but was obliged to help him for whatever reason. He walked over and started yanking at this odd compartment with him. Together, they pried it off and with it came a lot of dust. Both Sora and the Doctor coughed and hack through all of it, but the Doctor was already reaching into the dark unknown, searching for something.

"Aha!" he exclaimed again. He pulled and a plop resounded. He pulled out _something_ that Sora had no idea what it was. He grabbed the Sonic Screwdriver from Amy and observed the thing with it. After a few minutes the object made a fizzing noise and then a sound equivalent to a power down occurred. He nodded in satisfaction and pitched it in a nearby trashcan. He walked over to Sora and extended his hand. Sora took it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm the Doctor," he said. Doctor who? Doctor what? Where was the name?

"You too, I'm Sora." He replied. "What was that?" he asked, referring to the item that was just trashed. The Doctor looked at them as they started to follow Amy.

"That was a bomb, a bomb made by the Daleks. And just when I thought they were all gone for good. But why here, why there?" He seemed to talk more to himself than anyone else.

"And a Dalek is?" Sora asked, just going along with it.

"Too much to explain Sora," he replied as they rounded another corner. "I must hurry," he said to himself, pocketing the Screwdriver. Sora had to ask it.

"But what's your name? Who are you?" Sora near pleaded. The Doctor just looked at him as they were following Amy to a. . . blue police box? What?

"I'm the Doctor. Just the Doctor. Can't chat long, I'm afraid. Lots of things to do! Important things! Geronimo! Maybe we'll meet again someday." And with that they went into the box, and it disappeared.

_Well that was very odd. _

Sora shook it off and continued into the market. It was bustling with hundreds of people. It had also expanded by a lot! There were tons of stalls selling everything Sora could imagine. There were weapons, armor, accessories, items, you know, the usual stuff. But then there was food in one corner, he could hear live animals somewhere, jewelry, clothing, exotics, literature, and so many things that Sora couldn't list them off. There was stuff _everywhere_! Then, he remembered something. This would be the last chance he would have to shop for months. And Kairi's sixteenth birthday was coming up, and his brain began to formulate a plan. A perfect birthday for her. He already knew where to go and what to do, but what was it he was going to get her? He thought about it, and one item was a necessity, and the other was just what girls love. Jewelry. He made his way towards the jewel stalls. They were all packed with women and girls alike, all except for one. He thought this was odd and walked over to the stall. Behind it sat a woman he knew was not human.

"Ah, I can see by your face that you are wondering. I am an elf from the land of one far from here, destroyed by the darkness. My name is Ivra," she explained. The elf was majestic. Her voice made Sora's stomach turn over with butterflies, light and high. His head felt fluttered, but he pushed it away.

"So, young one, are you looking for something for a special someone?" she asked slyly. Her smile she gave him sent him into the same nervousness that Kairi did. He only nodded. "Then tell me when you have found something.

Sora began to look, but it was fast as his eyes were drawn to it. The most fantastic and beautiful piece of jewelry he had ever seen. It was a necklace, pendant, amulet, whatever you want to call it. The pendant itself was a cresting wave made of pure sapphire, cut and edged to make the texture of waves. It was lined with diamond and the crested crash of the wave was a mixture of diamonds. A golden paopu fruit, yes golden, was borne of the crest and the leaf wrapped underneath, made of pure emerald. He turned it over to find a gold plating inscribed with something in his own language but that of elven style of writing, a black writing.

_May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost_

He turned it back over, and let the sterling silver chain slip through his fingers. It was angelic, divine, and there was no way he was going to be able to afford something like this.

"Oh that is a most beautiful piece, Sora," she said. Sora had never given her his name. "Is that what you want for Kairi?" He didn't remember saying Kairi's name.

"Yes, Ivra," Sora replied. "But I can't afford this," he admitted.

"No you can't. This is normally about ten billion munny," she said nonchalantly. Sora had a small aneurism at that. That was INSANE! No one had just a small bit like ten BILLION munny on them. Well, there went that idea for Kairi's sweet sixteen gift. He was about to give up when—

"But for you. . ." she paused, eying him over. Oh great, even at a ninety per cent discount, it would still be a billion munny.

"How bout 25,000 munny," she said in that same nonchalant voice. Sora had watched his fair amount of anime. This would be the part where his jaw literally hit the ground and his eyes became large and white. That aneurism was threatening to kill him right about now. What the hell? How many surprises was this day going to have?

"Why?" was the only thing he was able to manage. She looked at him and smiled.

"Because, you are the one that will open the door to the light. . ." _Did she just?_

_ That voice. . . I _know_ that voice!_

Sora shrugged it off, not believing himself, and dug out 25,000 worth of munny. He handed it over and she locked it away. The necklace was now his, well, Kairi's, but his for now. He looked down at it and marveled in its beauty again. She was going to _love_ it. He need to thank Ivra this instant. His head snapped up.

"Thank you I—" Where was she? Right where she, her stand, and all of her wares were, was now just an empty bench, the wind rustling some wrappers under it. He looked back down hurriedly. The necklace was still in his hands. The 25,000 munny was still gone. And so was she. He flipped over the amulet.

_May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost_

He sat on the bench and thought about it for a while. It was nearing noon when he got up to get Kairi's necessary gift. He hoped 75,000 munny would cover it. He hoped. Then suddenly, a kid, no, make that multiple children, ran up to him.

"Sora, Sora, Sora!" His name was shouted from them all and many times each. He was surrounded by little kids from the ages of five to ten. They were mostly boys but there were a couple girls too.

"Hey guys, quiet down, geez," he said, growing red in the face and scratching the back of his head. "What do you all want?"

"Can we have your autograph!?" they all shouted in unison. Many parents and adults looked at him and smiled. They silently urged him to go with it, to make a kid's day.

"Okay fine!" he said. A big smile split his face as one of them gave him a picture of himself and a permanent marker. This picture was from his first visit on his second journey. Apparently someone had made copies. What he could tell was that this was amazing! To sign autographs for kids, no, fans was a great feeling. To see the happy looks on their faces made him feel like a kid again, or maybe he still was. They all shouted their thanks as he continued to sign. He could get used to this, but it all ended and he continued his way to Kairi's next present.

**HoL:TS**

Riku sat across from Cloud, actually have a good time for once. They shared a lot of similarities, or so it seemed. Cloud had told him all about SOLDIER and the years of training to get into it. It honestly sounded appealing to Riku, but he knew he would never get the time to do it. Being a savior of the worlds will cut down your free time. Riku had told him about his journeys, but not the times where he was delved into darkness and on the villain's side. Was he ashamed of it? Yes, but he wouldn't tell that to Cloud just yet. Cloud would probably support him and would actually be a friend. Just like Sora. Well, not just like Sora. Sora was his best friend for a reason. His undying loyalty. He wasn't ready to tell his dark secrets, just like Cloud wasn't ready. He kept to the topic of SOLDIER, nothing else.

Merlin's house had emptied somewhat since they all had different tasks and jobs to do around the city. Also, the appearance of Sephiroth had been exciting. Sora had said so much about this man, how fearsome and powerful he was. And finally, Riku had gotten to meet him. And to be honest, he wasn't really impressed. Yes, Sephiroth wasn't a villain, per se, but he was a bad dude. He was Cloud's dark embodiment, and while not a villain, as he thought about it, he was just the big bully on the playground that everyone was scared of. Nothing more, nothing less. But there was something Riku had admired. The calmness, the smart ass, the flowing manner. Sephiroth was a cool guy, just a mean person. And apparently he was a skilled fighter. He had not shown a single trace of fear when faced off with so many enemies at once. It appeared that only Cloud and Sora could stand against him. Riku planned to fight him himself one day. And he planned to win, just like Sora and Cloud.

Just then, the door opened and Leon made his way in. He looked over at Riku and Cloud.

"Riku, follow me," Leon said. Riku apologized to Cloud about this and followed Leon up the first set of stairs, down the long bedroom corridor, and then up into the conference room. The view was magnificent. You could see all of the Radiant Garden laid out before yourself. Riku walked up and looked down at the ants below. Of course he would think them as ants, because that's what they looked like from this high up. He looked at the Castle and horrid and shameful memories flooded him. They did this so much, that he was forced to look away and cool himself down. He silently meditated until he felt calmer. _Control the darkness._ Leon had waited until Riku was ready to begin.

"So, Riku, why are you here?" Leon asked, simple and to the point. Riku liked that.

"As you may know, anything between yourself, King Mickey, and the mayors of Destiny Islands and Twilight Town is all for the fight against Maleficent now. My job is to simply go between these few worlds and make sure relations are kept and to raise small armies on each. I am trusting that you will cover the army here. I will ensure that there are forces gathered and maintained on Twilight Town and Destiny Islands," Riku said. The entire trip from Disney Castle to here, he had thought of what he was to truly do and how he would go about doing it. Mickey had said the course of action was up to him.

"I see. In that case I have to make a phone call. You are free to go, thank you Riku," Leon said, sitting at a desk and dialing a number. Riku slightly nodded to him before going back to the ground level. He thought that he could not be at both Twilight Town and Destiny Islands at once. Each needed a leader of their own forces that could report to him. It would save time and hassles. And he knew the perfect people for each.

**HoL:TS**

Sora met up with Kairi and Merideth outside of Merlin's house. He had one, yes, one shopping bag. That was it. He had spent 100,000 munny on two items. When he saw Kairi and Merideth, both arms sagging as they were just laden with shopping bags, he nearly laughed at them. They looked tired and he hurried and opened the door for them. They rushed inside and sat their bags off in a corner. They then continued to plop down in some chairs. Aerith brought them some fresh lemonade and offered Sora a glass. He declined as he sat down, not letting his bag leave his side. Kairi looked at him in shock.

"Is that _all_ you got?" she asked, bewildered. He only nodded as Cid walked inside from the back entrance, his clothes a lot more oily and black smudges covering most of his skin. He wiped his hands and face on a rag sticking out of one of his pockets and accepted a lemonade from Aerith. He took a generous drink from it, draining it in one go, and sat it near a sink.

"You know Aerith, I just love your lemonade. Just as good as your cookin'," he complimented. She turned pink at that, but it was not to be compared to Cloud when Cid added: "You got yourself a keeper, Cloud. Try not to lose her." Some people, including Axel and Yuffie laughed at that. Cloud finished his own lemonade, went to the fridge, and came back with a cold beer. This earned more laughs.

"Well, Sora, she's fixed up. Better armor, better weaponry, better navigation, and better engines. It cut your travel time by a quarter. Engines are one of the things I still have trouble designing," he said. Sora felt happy about that, then a sudden realization hit him.

"I forgot to buy food!" Sora exclaimed. This shocked everyone into silence. Sora. Never. Forgot. Food.

Ever. Cue Merlin to the rescue!

"Not to worry, my dear lad, I shall fix that for you," Merlin said. He rolled up his sleeves, turned on his "serious" face and readied his wand. He started bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet and muttered the funniest and weirdest incantations Sora had ever, or probably would ever hear. It took about ten minutes and much laughter later, but Merlin finished. Along with it, all of Kairi's Merideth's and Sora's shopping items vanished.

"Where did our things go?" Kairi asked.

"They're in your rooms, now be careful on your journey!" he said. That was a cue and everyone got up from their seats and started filing outside. The journey was truly beginning! They all lined up outside, everyone facing Sora, Kairi, Merideth, Roxas and Naminé. The first thing that happened was Roxas walking over and hugging Axel. Everyone was silent as they shared a private conversation. Then he faded away into Sora, Naminé doing the same once she said goodbye to everyone. There was a sad but happy moment as Sora said goodbye to them all, finally stopping with Riku.

"You be safe out there, Spikes," Riku said, bringing Sora into a hug. Loving is the only way to put this. That hug showed love. Sora could feel it pass between them. Him and Riku were about as close as real brothers were. Everyone kept silent for them, letting them have their moment.

"Just promise me I won't have to stop everything to come and find you again," Sora said with a small but weak laugh, wiping away a single tear.

"Man up already, Kairi's watching," he said in an undertone. Sora smiled at him. It was sad, but this was necessary. The worlds needed the both of them but in different ways. Besides, it wasn't like this was goodbye forever. Hell, not even more than a few months, probably. That still didn't take away the pain of loss.

"I'll miss you Riku," Sora said, having one more hug.

"I'll miss you Sora," Riku said, returning that same hug,

After that Sora waved them off and they all said a final goodbye. He went into the gummi ship and set it to the orbit level. Once it was safe for occupants to walk, they did so. Kairi and Merideth walked up to him.

"So, where to first, Keyblade Master," Kairi said with a giggle. Merideth giggled too.

"Well, the closest unknown world is here," he said bringing up a universal map. The estimated time of travel was twenty hours.

"Well, let's go!" they said. He selected the world and turned on the auto-pilot. First thing he did was go to the kitchen. It was stocked FULL of food. The pantries, closets, cupboards, fridge room, everything. Full to the brim, so to say.

"Remind me to install a shrine to Merlin," Sora said to Kairi. After a quick lunch, they went to their rooms. In the semicircle room that led to their bedrooms was a device with a note on it.

_This is a gummi ship interior decorator. I thought Kairi and Merideth would like to change Donald and Goofy's old rooms. Have a safe journey kids!_

_ Cid_

Kairi took it and already made a change. Where the middle room once said Donald, it now said Kairi. Goofy's now said Merideth. Sora waved them off as he went to his old room, happy with how it was. There was his bag with his items. He put it away in his closet and took a nap.

After the nap, Sora, Roxas, and Naminé went to the entertainment room, now stocked with video games and consoles, a flat screen and many movies. Or in other words, the worlds' best entertainment system, all courtesy of Cloud, by the note. Add a shrine, Sora thought. The three of them played video games for hours until Kairi and Merideth emerged, tired looking but happy.

"Oh? Tekken? I'll take you all down," Kairi said. Just as she was about to prove it, a voice spoke over the ship's intercom.

"Star Fox to Sora, Captain of the ship. We are nearing the world. Five more minutes." _Star Fox?_

"Five more minutes?" Sora asked, bewildered.

"Yeah," Kairi said, "you were asleep for about twelve hours. We all had slept as well, but not as long as you." He marveled at that.

"Star Fox?" Sora yelled. "As in Fox McCloud?" At that, a holographic image appeared. It adjusted to where it was just about a real being. You couldn't tell it was a hologram now.

"Yes, Master Cid installed myself, and my three cohorts into the system's AI program. Myself, along with Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad and Falco Lombardi," he said, indicating each.

"Are you AI based off of the game?" Kairi asked.

"Yes, we were based off the video game, but we have been given much more intelligence. Everything within Ansem the Wise's and Merlin's computers. We have a vast library of knowledge that may come in handy. And we also have multiple tips on space combat. I recommend you learn how to do a barrel roll. It will come in handy," Star Fox said.

"We mapped it to the Z and R buttons on the controls," Peppy added. "Just make sure to press them twice." Sora about died from laughter.

"We are now in orbit of the world," Fox said, before he and the other AI vanished. Sora and the other four walked into the cockpit and strapped in. Sora glanced at Roxas and Naminé.

"You two are going down with us?" Sora asked.

"Well, we need to test our new Keyblades out, don't we?" Naminé countered. Sora didn't argue further.

"Star Fox to Sora, do you wish to land or beam down?"

"Land," he said.

Once the preparations were made, Sora burst through the atmosphere and into the world. The gummi ship rocked violently as the transcended through the unknown world's atmosphere. They lowered toward the surface and it lurched, rocking the passengers more roughly. The ship was acting odd, with all the constant rocking and uncontrolled movement.

"Where the hell did you learn to fly?" Roxas said, holding his new Keyblade. "Is, that a tornado? Are you telling me you landed us in a massive tornado? Dumbass!"

"Shut it Roxas!"

After a lot of yelling and throwing around, it all stopped. They weren't in Kansas anymore.

**HoL:TS**

_I'ltorien  
__July 14, 2010_

_ How could this have happened?_ that was the question in most of the populace as they surveyed the still smoldering remains of the capital's research district. At least, that was what the woman thought as she and her companion trekked down the streets of the nexus of the Empire. Neither really knew what it was being part of the populace, the bracelet on the man's wrist that marked the number 1994 and the tiara that marked her 18 forever as part of their uniform.

The populace eyed them especially caring. A normal soldier, even of higher rank, would inspire some caution on the crowd, but them? They brought terror. Terror of the unknown. The numbers would make them never forget that. Not that that seemed to affect the man in front of her in any way. Which confused her, he should be the first one to voice his disgust at the way they treated them, but he was just so. . . different from two years ago. Even after an entire year serving under him she did not understand what was going on in his head. For the most part at least. Today was different. Every step they took towards the former research facility she saw more of the person she knew come back.

Soon, they had arrived at the ruined gateway that separated the districts, the firemen still trying to finish off some of the blazes that still lived on.

"Hey! The Emperor said no-" a poor soldier had blared as the duo approached. The lack of uniform on both of them was probably the cause. He immediately froze, sweat trickling down his nose as his life flashed in front of his eyes, knowing the gravity of his mistake. "M-my apologies, G-General, C-Captain!" he apologized after being besieged by two equally icy glares from the duo. No more words were exchanged before the rest of the soldiers standing in their way slowly backed away from their path.

As they arrived at the site of the explosions. . . yes, plural, they took an elongated and deep look at their surroundings. Many emotions came about that time for the woman. Confusion ruled them all though, for she did not know what to feel. She should be content with the prison that held them for so long being taken down into nothing more than ash, but that would be petty. No, she should be destroyed by the lives it had taken with it. The lives _he_ had destroyed in his carnival of terror. True, for a long time, no more lives would be taken into it, destroyed by the dark, cold halls and inhumane experiments conducted there, but thousands had to be lost for it. Was this a good thing? She did not know, nor did she care, because the greatest emotion she was feeling was worry.

"I can't find anyone. No survivors other than those that made it back to us," the man suddenly said after half an hour of meticulous search by the duo. That had been the first words that. . . let's call her Eighteen until we decide to give you more info, shall we? (People with DBZ jokes will be executed on sight.) Anyway, those were the first words she had heard from him ever since they started to head towards the wreckage.

"The way you put it is almost like you expected, no, hoped someone to be here," Eighteen replied, testing the waters. For the first time, the stone face crumbled into one of indignation.

"Don't be ridiculous, just following orders," he stated harshly, Eighteen seeing it by what it was, a ruse.

"You volunteered to come with me, _Frost King,_" replied the woman, crossing her arms and eying back with an even fiercer look. She did not enjoy liars. The clash of gazes seemed to make the air around it as cold as a glacier, but the indignation in the man's face was slowly but surely turned into tiredness and worry. Eighteen smiled, having witnessed the first proof that her brother was still alive somewhere. He finally caved in and asked:

"The solitary. . . where was it?" he asked, genuine emotion on his face for a few moments.

"I managed to get a visit of her once or twice. Follow me," Eighteen told the man, which we are not going to call him by the number due to obvious reasons. They walked through the wreckage, an eerie silence only broken by the sizzling of fire slowly draining away at their hopes to find anyone.

"How was she? When you went to see her I mean." As unoriginal as this is, we'll just have to call this one King for now. It's better than One, so we better not hear any complains. We're not just gonna give you names.

"Not well. She seemed to. . . talk to herself. Delusions, or worse. Doctors said it happened a few months after the confinement. I cannot say I am surprised. No fourteen year old should ever be subject to two years of no interaction with anyone but scientists once a day." Truth be told, she wasn't that much older now, having only reached seventeen three months ago, but that only made her feel for the person she loved as a sister more.

"I see. . ." the rest of the walk was silent, with the woman sneaking in some glances, trying to find a shred of emotion on the man's face. How could he have become so cold in just a year? Still, he showed some concern, so maybe there was still a sliver of what he once was in there.

"Hey, it's not your fault!" Eighteen tried to console, to no effect. She knew it could be considered, but he had no idea of what the consequences would be; he shouldn't act like he acted despite knowing them.

And then, they arrived at their destination.

Now, it was to be expected that even the cells were to be in shambles, but that did not take away from the grip on the heart created once they saw the crushed bodies of many a person as they walked through the holding quarter. The solitary was obviously. . . isolated. That's what it's for after all. And that was exactly what made it even worse. You see, the cell where Eighteen and King knew their objective to have been incarcerated was only slightly open. The opening was so small that the duo could not fit in, resorting to ripping out the door all together.

"What is that?" King questioned, getting on one knee to examine the small object covered in dirt. Wiping the dirt from it, he found a sapphire water-drop shaped piece of jewelry that they easily recognized. "Th-this. . . we gave her this earring," he gasped, Eighteen's emotions running sky-high as she looked over the broken down room. The rubble was covering too much of it for them to search for the body. . . if they were normal.

"Zero-Graviga." Two words. With only two words, all the rubble swiftly levitated upwards, giving them a clear view of what it hid. They cursed the idea. "By the. . ." Eighteen had no words. A small, burned and broken body was unveiled by her magic. Impossible to identify? Yes. But it was located in a room where only one person resided, the build was extremely similar and it was laying a mere two meters away from where the earring had been found. Next to no clothing was left and what was charred beyond repair. Barely anything other than the skeleton remained.

Bile formed in the woman's throat as she let go of her spell instantly, her mind thrown into disarray, despair, sadness, disbelief, self-comfort, all of that and more bursting out of her. Not even she knew what she was feeling. But she would not believe it. It could not be her. She wouldn't die like that. She wouldn't. . .

In her distress, she took a look at how her companion was doing. He was already standing, turning her back onto her. She rushed at him, putting her hand on his right shoulder and assuring.

"It may not be her." She was only met with the most fulminating look she had ever been on the receiving end off. The man's eyes had slit and taken the color of what he had been infused with, as did everyone in the facility, but very few made her tremble like that one did. Those eyes. . . they were crying bloody murder.

"When you actually believe what you say, tell that to my face!" he said, removing her hand from his shoulder and walking away, away from the ruins, away from everything. She knew what he was feeling. Or she wished. Maybe it was worse than what she imagined. Still, she turned to pick up the only memento from her friend, only to find the earring missing. In its place, were two small drops of water.

"I should've known," she told herself, leaving the tear stained grounds behind. She followed the rest of her orders, her heart weighing more heavily each moment that passed, every burnt and mangled corpse she saw. It really seemed like no one else had survived.

"What is this?" she questioned herself. She had reached the wall, a gigantic hole sitting in it, past the broken body of a soldier, his head crushed by a beam. In that hole, sat a lone blood pool. Large, but not too large. She knew what she had to do. "Libra!" she chanted, scanning the blood for magical properties, finding them. She could not make out who it belonged too. . . she needed a sample of the original for it, but that was not the blood a normal human would possesses. It was too akin to her own for it. "That body did not have her other earring. . ." she began, taking her eyes to the sky.

"For both yours and his sake. . . be alive."

**HoL:TS**

"DAMNIT!" roared King in an alleyway not too far from the wreckage. Surprising how the wall to the house didn't collapse when he punched it out of sheer frustration. Still, the wall was marked with his fist now. "I knew it. I knew it would end up like this but. . . WHY?!" he shouted, hitting the wall with his head. "Out of all the scum. . . out of all that scum that made it out alive, why was she one of the ones to die?" As cold as that sounds, he knew exactly how it was inside the facility. Not everyone was a poor soul trapped into that existence. No, some of them could be said to even deserve it. Yet, the one person he begged some nonexistent deity to for her safety had been the Reaper's delight.

"Master Orlandeu was right. Abandon all hope all of ye that be in this Empire's army. I was stupid to think both of them would survive," he told himself, trying to dismiss away all emotions. It was of no avail, he still felt like someone had his heart on their hand, slowly squeezing it as he cackled madly. _He_ was to blame. It was always him. He was gone, but had taken her with him. It was just not fair.

"Come back here kitty cat!" King suddenly heard pass through the air of the hallway. He had heard that nickname before, but it couldn't belong to who he thought it did, could it? Against his better judgment, he rushed down the alley to see what was the cause of the noise.

The cause? Three men stood in a semi-circle around what seemed to be a small girl. While King sighed, knowing what he thought was wishful thinking, he had to be disturbed by what seemed to be happening.

"No! Let me go!" the child cried, struggling to get out of the burly man's arms as the boss of the other two smiled darkly.

"We got you out of there kitten, now you're our pet. You better serve us like one before we hand you over to the guards." the middle man said, caressing her cheek. King just snarled, disgusted by what he was seeing, making his presence known in one step. "Who's there?! Oh. . . look who it is! Number one hundred ninety-four! Didn't ya get shot?!" King instantly recognized the man, whose earrings had "15" and "87" inscribed on them. A runaway. He knew what he had done in the facility. How many lives he had cheated out of existence just to further his on the sparing matches. He slowly but surely made his way in his direction. "You scared kiddo?! What's with that fancy dress anyway?"

"Hey Boss. . ." the smaller of the group told him as King drew closer. "Isn't that cape reserved for generals?" Way too late. Before number 1587 could even act, King grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up from the ground and casting a burning gaze into his own terrified eyes.

"W-what are you. . ." the wretched scoundrel began just before feeling his legs go limp, any sensation from them soon stopping. He looked down in horror to see his entire body crystallizing under King's magic. "Please! Please don't, I'll do anything!"

"No mercy for the merciless," King stated as the gang leader cried, his entire body crystallizing. King then crushed his neck, the vibrations of it shattering the ice-like substance into hundreds of pieces, ending the man's life. He turned to his henchmen, the burly one still not having dropped the child, both reaching for rusty shanks. "Go ahead, make my day," he taunted, the small one crying as he lunged at him. The general dodged the shank, his fist finding its mark on the assaulter's stomach. He lumbered back, crying as soon as he saw himself crystallize from the part where he had been hit. As he saw his companion be frozen in place, the burly one pressed the shank against the girl's neck, shouting:

"Let him go or the girl's a goner!" that seemed to have little to no effect on King, who had walked up to the other man and laid his hand on his back. "I mean it!"

"Rule number eight of one on one combat. Never believe to know all of the opponent's moves," the man seemed confused, but was pushed over the edge when the general pushed the statue of his friend, causing it to call and shatter. With a cry of rage, he. . . did nothing. "Who told you I had to touch something to crystallize it?" He gasped in terror as he saw his shoulder completely covered in the substance, it slowly spreading towards the rest of his body, leaving only the girl.

"Scum," King spat, ripping out the arm he was using to grab the girl. "You okay?" He questioned, taking a look at the girl. She couldn't be more than five, had a strange coloration of her hair, almost turquoise and wore nothing but a rag of white dress. Her hair bore a total of four beads. . . all of them with a nine?! "Number. . . 9999?!" (The shoot-on-sight orders are still in order. Get those scouters out). He had no idea it had come so far. Just how many lives had been lost? The girl seemed beyond terrified. He tried to calm her down with some gentle strokes on her head, but he had just murdered three men in cold blood in front of her.

A pebble's rumbling filled the alleyway.

Just then, one of his high ranking commanders entered the alley. King glanced up and saw his Lieutenant, arms crossed and with an annoyed look on his face. Not angry, not even disgusted, he was far too laid back for it. Simply annoyed. One had to be laid back to be friends with the general, or else his cold and sharp replies would just turn them away. And this one had stuck by him for two years now, so that only proved how good of a friend (and how patient) he was. A rare trait for an eighteen-year-old.

"Killing able-bodied Magitek Soldiers? Really? Just clean this mess up before you get in trouble," he said, turning a blind eye at the destruction and the girl. "Just remember. . . non-able bodied ones. . ." he said with a much bigger restraint, King knowing he meant the girl. He turned his back, leaving the alleyway and scaring any would-be onlooker away to cover for him before going out of sight.

"Thanks," he whispered before turning to the girl, who seemed much less shocked and much. . . colder. He knew that the Emperor had ordered the immediate execution of any infused one that was not prepared to enter the army to avoid segregating information to the people, but there was something in that girl that. . .

"Why don't you kill me?" she asked him cold and rationally. He was stumped. "They said the guards would kill anyone who would not be able to enter combat. I am not. Why do you not kill me?" The worst about all this? He didn't know. Truly, he did not know. Before he could say anything more, he touched her head and whispered:

"Vanish," he chanted, the girl disappearing from sight. He did nothing but make her body completely transparent. He knew the girl would have probably known this, and if she didn't she had only to do one thing. "Grab my cape and don't let go until I say so, I don't want to hurt you, I promise," he told her, the small tug confirming that she had complied. And he left the alleyway, child in tow, his mind still repeating over and over again.

_What am I doing?_

**HoL:TS**

_Radiant Garden  
__July 22, 2010_

Riku watched his best friend take off from the ground, exiting the atmosphere, and going to search for new worlds. He somewhat envied Sora. All he had to do was stay behind and run around a few worlds, and all the same ones, too. He sighed and turned around, nearly knocking over a beautiful young woman in the process. Very young, must have been his age.

"Oh, sorry, my name's Alexia."

* * *

TUH: And not a single name was dropped.

TN: I know right? We are so evil. Bit of surprise of Alexia, huh?

TUH: Everyone saw her coming. . . oh wait, they didn't.

TN: I wonder what role she'll have to play?

TUH: You're not wondering, you're just being a prick.

TN: And you aren't?

TUH: I take pride in it.

TN: Anyway, who's excited for Oz? Anyone? I bet our readers are!

TUH: That pendant sure is strange. . . isn't it? (By the way, this is me being a prick)

TN: What was with that random elf-woman and that _voice_?  
TN: A more important question: I wonder if the readers are expecting SoKai anytime soon?

TUH: If they are, then they've never read my fics. It's far. . . too. . . soon. . .

TN: _Sure. . ._

TUH: Now time to use my psychic review creating powers! OBEY ZOD, REVIEW FIC!

TN: Yeah, what he said. And don't don't forget to kneel.

TUH: KNEEL BEFORE ZOD

TN: Aerith! Put him down for a while!

TUH: ZZZzz(ZOD!)zzzz. . .

TN: Thanks for the reads and the upcoming reviews!

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	5. Welcome to Oz

TN: So, Herald, we're finally Oz. Remember when we planned this so long ago?

TUH: Disregard Oz! I'ltorien!

TN: And we all get to get our Lollypop Guild on! (starts heaving and dying)

TUH: Oh god. OH GOD!

TN: Yes there is a lot of singing in the next chapter, so be ready.  
TN: Anything you want to say, Herald?

TUH: Compulsive Backstabbing Disorder!

TN: Um. . . okay. Anyway, time for the disclaimers! Hey, you two love-birds! Get over here!

*Enter Sora and Kairi*

Sora: Hey you're not supposed to let the audience know we're dating!

TN: Well that hasn't happened yet. We're telling this story years after at it happened. The audience doesn't _know_ when you two started dating!

Kairi: As they argue back and forth-

TUH: ZOD! KNEEL BEFORE ME!

Kairi: Um. . . anyway, you know what they don't and do own. See ya after the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter V**

**Welcome to Oz**

_I'ltorien  
__July 16, 2010_

One groaned, her consciousness slowly returning. That blow to her chest had catapulted her neck-straight into the ground. Still, she wasn't sore at all. Again, miraculous recoveries were her shtick apparently. Still, this time she was grateful for it. She woke up to a nursing Rhys, the orange haired priest chanting some quick incantations to get her up. It was obvious to her that he was simply hastening her return to consciousness, but still, she felt grateful to the white clad priest, smiling at him, wordlessly thanking him and sitting up.

Gratefulness. . . when was the last time she had felt like that before arriving at this group of obvious rebels? The answer was two years ago when they had given her. . .

"No!" She gasped after reaching to her right ear. She had lost it, her only memory of them. First it was the left one that she had left behind when escaping her captor, and now this one. Tears began to form in her eyes as a mix of frustration and sadness took over her. However, this was short lived, a brunet girl immediately taking notice and rushing to her side.

"Are you looking for this?" Mist questioned, reaching for her purse and unraveling a small water-drop shaped sapphire earring. One quickly took it from the girl's hand, caressing it with a nigh obsessive attitude, her eyes glazed upon the earring. Mist was confused, so was Rhys, who took note to have her mentally checked. The battle's sudden blood thirst and now this? "Um. . ." Mist had no idea what to call her, and as much as the young woman hated, she had to give her "that" name.

"You can call me One for now. I'm used to it," only Rhys understood just how that affected the woman, Mist agreeing immediately, quickly sating her curiosity.

"Where did you get that? It's really pretty!" the young girl exclaimed, smiling at One in a way that broke her obsessive look and forced her into a reminiscent gaze.

"Two years ago. . . the only two people I ever called friends gave it to me on my birthday. Nobody ever celebrated my birthday before," One told her, shaking her head to avoid any of the emotions, but the longing still came back. But she never expected Mist's reaction.

"Nobody? When is your birthday?!" she suddenly ask, taking One aback, but she still answered.

"O-October 18th. It's my seventeenth birthday," she explained. She didn't know how a little girl, one she didn't know, could so easily make her reveal parts of her personality. She had never willingly given up information about herself before.

"I'll talk with Eli! I bet she'll throw a party for you! She's rich!" Again, One was completely taken aback. She could only mouth:

"Why would you?" The girl barely knew her. For all she knew, One could be a spy. And yet she was already wanting to fulfill a deep desire One had always had rooted deep inside her ever since that day two years ago.

"Why not? You're nice, strong, pretty. I wish I could be like you! You deserve people giving you a party! And I know you'll get along just fine with everyone here, so you'll have a LOT of friends to have sing Happy Birthday!" It was so childish, the way she moved, the way she jumped and praised One so much. But it brought a full smile for the first time to her face. She didn't know why, but she would not wonder. For it only lasted for a few moments. Those few moments were bliss.

"You. . . you don't wish you could be like me. You shouldn't!" she suddenly screamed in a burst of aggressiveness, clutching her hands to her head and letting it hit the ground. The bloody murder of hundreds of children while she was nothing but a toddler herself flashed in her mind. She looked at her hands and saw blood. It wouldn't be cleaned. It would never vanish.

"It is not your fault," she heard a voice tell her. Turning to the side she saw the man Ike called master. Stefan was it? "We know exactly what went down in the facility now. Our spies got to know it better after the fires a few days ago. The actions you were forced to take do not define you, young one." The way he spoke was so wise. Too wise for a person that didn't look a day older than thirty. Still, this hardly preoccupied One. She cackled lowly, surprising the trio around her.

"You don't understand, do you? I enjoyed it. That's why I'm ashamed of it. The blood seeping away from their bodies. The skin palling as it flowed freely, just as free as their last breath. The thrill of survival. . . it was the only kind of pleasure I had! I am not the girl you see! I'm much more. I'm a monster!" She was screaming, shrieking by now. Her eyes completely dipped into lunacy so vast that Stefan reached for his blade. Then, as fast as it came, it vanished, leaving the girl to slowly remember what she had just said. One slowly looked around, seeing Mist hiding behind Rhys, tears streaming down the girl's face. Tears falling down her cheeks right afterward. "I- I. . ."

"Say no more. We'll help you, I can promise you that," Stefan told her, his hand caressing the girl's scalp as she cried. She could swear he whispered: "Those monsters. . ." Probably aimed at the Empire.

"Hey everyone!" Ike exclaimed as he made his way into the tent. His expression quickly shifted as he saw the situation. "Is something wrong?" he asked. One wanted to say it was. She didn't FEEL ready to take on the world just now. But she would never feel ready as long as _she _existed and Ike was her ticket to being heard. She shook her head.

"Not anymore," she told Ike, who, even after scuffing, decided not to prod deeper, maybe because Stefan signaled him to stop.

"Well, fine, I won't go further. Still, I have some good news. Our contractor has agreed to take you to the council today!" the mercenary exclaimed, some brightness returning to One's eyes as she was told that. Maybe now she understood why she was here and what they wanted from her.

"You mean Eli?" Mist asked, still behind Rhys' robes, albeit not grabbing onto the priest. That all changed when Ike nodded. In a flash, she ran out of the tent crying "ELIIIII!"

"Calm yourself Mist!" Ike sighed as that voice came from the outside. Moments later, a woman entered the tent holding the younger girl's hand. One recognized her instantly as nobility and cringed. She hadn't had the best experience with nobles. Still, _Eli_ felt a bit off. Yes, that orange dress, trimmed with what deduced to be real gold, red heels that followed the same convention with puffy shoulders laced with gold bracelets finishing up with both a tiara and a pair of gold earrings. All of that meant she dressed like one. Yes, that emerald hair tied in a perfect bun before sliding across her back past her shoulders was far too perfectly cut for her to be a commoner that it reminded One of _her_. Still, behind those amber eyes there seemed to be no smugness, no discrimination towards her or anyone in the room. It was the exact opposite. She seemed. . . unsure of herself? So unsure that she simply stared at One, her lips twitching but nothing coming out of them. She couldn't help but wonder if Eli was afraid of her. She wouldn't be the first.

"This is our contractor, Elincia Ridell Crimea. She's the duchess of one of the lands around the capital, Crimea," Ike explained, seeing as the woman wasn't able to do so herself. "Don't mind her, she's just shy."

"Thank you, my lord Ike. I can take it from here," Elincia replied, making Ike take his palm to the face.

"I'm not a 'lord' Elincia," he said with quite a bit of annoyance. One took note that he didn't seem to like nobility either.

"Oh, I apologize Sir Ike. Force of habit, you see?" Ike sighed at the Sir, but felt it to be more appropriate and let Elincia do the rest of the talking. "And you must be lady. . ."

"You can call me One for now. I'm used to it." One told her, not making eye contact as she did.

"But that's degrading," Elincia replied, only to receive the bad kind of eye contact.

"As I said, I'm used to it!" Stefan winced as _that_ voice came again. Even One didn't know it was being so prevalent. Must've been because of how she had just woken up from a loss.

"A-alright. I'm truly sorry One. Shall we go? It is already nightfall and some of the attendees are very strict with timing, even if our leader is not." One was surprised to see how outside of the tent it was in fact, nightfall. She nodded at the proposal, wondering why their leader was lax on timing. As she left though, someone grabbed her hand. A small, weak hand with a firm grip. She turned to see Mist, hope in her eyes as she extended her other hand upwards.

"You dropped this when you were screaming," she explained, handing her the earring. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. . ."Again, what was this kind of treatment they gave One? It wasn't like they were her. "I just wanted to be friends!"

"No one said we couldn't be." One didn't even think about the response, surprising herself. Was she so easy to manipulate? Or was it because this girl was just so. . . honest? Still, the reaction really brightened her day.

"Really?! I have to tell Rolf about this!" She squealed, jolting outside of the tent. Once more, One smiled. She didn't remember the last time she had smiled so much in a day. With that, she followed Elincia to the outside coming face to face with a Pegasus. Not kidding. A Pegasus.

"Climb on. Gwydion doesn't mind a second passage and we're already late as it is." One didn't even dare to ask how she had a Pegasus, let alone how did they exist. With a proud neigh, the horse took flight into the night sky up and above the fortress.

"Where are we going?" questioned One. Elincia pointed to the horizon, an imposing mountain appearing through the darkness and mist.

"See that mountain? Our last resort and most secure fortress is located inside it. We do not use it as much as only the most trustworthy members of organization even know of it, never would we want spies to know its weaknesses," she explained, and while it made perfect sense to One, she had created another question.

"And you are trusting me with it?" she asked, to which Elincia turned and weakly smiled.

"Perhaps I am too trusting, but you have gone through too much for us to impose even more hurdles for you to go through," she replied, once again giving One the rusty feeling of gratitude. It almost seemed too good to be true. "That and I know how you feel." One let her head fall to the side in curiosity. The tone had completely changed. "I too, had no one to go to before out leader helped me and my land back to our feet. He even rescued my brother and sister from the clutches of Mateus,"

"The Emperor. . ." One began.

"We missed our taxes. Once. Never again," Elincia replied as they approached an entrance to the mountain. A giant balcony to be precise. On it, One could see a large round table, four people sitting in the circle. "We're here!" Elincia tried to brighten the mood as they landed. The Pegasus landed onto the balcony and all eyes were laid upon the duo. One took a look at the people she would have to talk to.

The only woman was someone that seemed to be in no more than her late teens. She wore a white and gold cropped shirt over a leather waist swath and a bright pink mini-skirt secured by a thick light-blue belt. Her legs were protected by metal leg-guards up to her mid-thigh, and a pair of gold metal open-toed shoes with darker pink stockings underneath. Her hair was a sandy blond color, cropped in the middle and layered to outline her young but determined expression. She seemed to be annoyed at their lateness, all four of her fingers tapping away at the table.

On the exact opposite to her was a man in a sophisticated white suit, blonde hair stylized to the side. This one seemed the most angry of them all, cringing his teeth as they arrived.

And to his side, there was a man in dark woolen pants and a dark green vest. His curtained hair was a strange color, dark blue, just like Ike's. Emerald eyes stared at her, not Elincia, only her. He didn't seem angry, nor annoyed. He was passive, unreadable. To his side was a purely silver broadsword, ready for all occasions.

Finally, the last member seemed the most relaxed out of them all, feet laying on the table and hands caressing the back of his neck, where his messy, shoulder length sandy blonde hair fell. He wore the most laid back clothing out of everyone there, a buttoned shirt unbuttoned to the middle of the chest, revealing a very muscled body, yet somehow hairless. There were some baggy woolen black pants covering his legs. His expression was one of pure boredom. What was he doing here?

Elincia and One jumped down from Gwydion, who went to join a wyvern and two large black birds to the side of the balcony. Elincia walked towards them and sat down, the stares now focusing on her guest. They were only broken by the one that didn't seem to give a crap about what had just happened as he said:

"Finally we can start this! Well, you all know about our recent troubles with the local wildlife. Any of you found a way to fix it yet?" the man said, seemingly ignoring One.

"My Commander, if I may, can we change the schedule of the meeting for just this once?" Elincia asked, the bored look on the man's face vanishing as he took a better look at One. One wondered how THIS could be their commander. Their leader.

"Holy— you're up and running already?!" he questioned, sitting normally for the first time. "Okay, okay! We're discussing her! Begin!" How was this guy a leader again?

"If I may ask, what should we do with One? The Empire will surely double their efforts against us just for her. We are all in danger, even her." The show of concern from Elincia really cemented One's trust for her.

"We should do our best to hide her from the Empire. If they capture her, it will be a true disaster," The woman suggested, and while she didn't say it was for One's good, there was no detachment in her voice. So, as of now, two of the council members seemed like decent people. Still, the man with the blade shook his head.

"Come now Amalia, you cannot tell me you believe you can hide HER of all people from the gaze of Mateus. She would be of much bigger service to both us and herself if she enlisted in the army. She would at least be able to protect herself." This one was colder than the last two, but again, he seemed to treat her as a person. One was flabbergasted at how they acted. Every single one of them was one in a thousand where she came from. But then, he talked.

"I agree with Zelgius. Let's face it, we have the weapon they most desperately want, why not use it against them?" It. Again with it. He had called her it. Not her. It.

Lava wouldn't burn as hot as her insides were. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, all of them harkening to the scientist that endlessly treated her as they would a tool. This man saw her as a tool. . . he wanted to use her as a tool.

"It. . .?" She was losing control. Everyone's stares concentrated into her hair. She knew what was happening, but was powerless to stop it. "Who the hell do you think you ARE?!"One screamed, throwing the table outside the balcony and down the mountain. Zelgius tried to reach for his sword, but before he could do so, the man in white had been slammed against the wall, One's hand crushing his larynx as her eyes burned violet, slitting much like a feline's. "What gives you the right to call us a thing? She wanted to trust you. She wanted to believe you weren't all the same stinking piles of shit! But _I_ knew. . . _I_ knew it all along!" One. . . or whoever was talking, started to increase the pressure, the man in white starting to go purple by lack of oxygen. He was begging her to stop. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't just let you die you scum!"

"Because you will be sinking as low as he did," The commander to the organization replied, easily taking her wrist and pulling her hand from the man in white. He then looked at her, his eyes red and slit much like hers. She was. . . afraid of this man. His expression had completely changed. Everyone seemed to be paralyzed at his mere presence. Now she understood why he was the leader. He then told her: "Get her back, I don't want, nor do I think, talking to you will solve anything." No one but Zelgius knew what he meant, as Zelgius nodded his head in understanding. But the girl did. She started to laugh. A dark, somber laughter, much different from what Elincia was used to.

"You. You're interesting. I guess there's some merit in sticking around if she wants to. Here, have your pretty little princess back." And with that, One went back to normal. Zelgius seemed to let his guard down a bit, and the woman sat back down on their now table-less chairs. The storm had seemed to have passed, for both their leader and their would-be recruit.

"I'm. . . so sorry. I can't control it. She does what she wants when I get angry," One explained, the leader shaking his head and touching her head gently.

"I know, don't worry about it. We went about this the wrong way. What we should be asking is not what we want to do with you, but what YOU want to do now," he explained, One's eyes jolting open at the offer. Complete liberty?! "You see, we can't let you go. The Empire will simply find you and kill you. . . or worse, take you back in." He shook his head again, as if exorcizing some of his ghosts before giving the second part of his speech. "You can either join us in our battle or ask us for shelter. Either way we'll be happy to have you here, away from those monsters." He was almost spilling venom with that last line. Whatever the Empire had done to him, it was bad.

One didn't know what to do really. A part of her cried out for revenge, but the other one just wanted peace, to be left alone, run away from everything, like what her and her best friend had promised to do if they had escaped together. She couldn't decide. Not in so little time.

"I need some time. Please, it is too much for me to answer in such short notice." She was surprised to see the man smile brightly at her request, nodding and saying:

"I'll be here tomorrow. . . and the day after it, and the one after that. Come to me when you decide, no rush." And with that and a pat on the top of her head, One knew that she was in a better place.

**HoL:TS**

_Oz  
__July 23, 2010_

Sora unbuckled himself from the pilot's seat, his muscles hurting and sore from the rough landing. He groaned as he stood up and looked around to his friends. In the commotion, Roxas and Naminé had fled into Sora and Kairi respectively. Merideth had been thrown out of her seat due to the violence of the tornado, and Sora rushed over to her, despite the pain in his muscles.

"Merideth, are you okay?" Sora asked as he helped her sit up. She had a a knot on her head and a bruise forming under her eye, over her cheek. Sora cast a simple Cure spell and relieved both ailments. She muttered her thanks before letting him help her to her feet. He then glanced at Kairi who was just getting out of her seat. The three of them walked to the side door of the gummi ship and opened the door. Right in front of them was a window. A window to a wooden house. On the inside was a girl with reddish brown hair in braids. She was wearing a blue and white dress and a brown and black dog was licking her face. Sora opened the window and climb through, once again helping a girl up.

"Oh my, thank you, sir," the girl replied. She stood up hurriedly, grabbing a picnic basket and and her terrier. She looked past the window and into the ship.

"What kind of house is that?" she asked, peering into it.

"It's a. . ." Sora just remembered that he couldn't interfere with the world order, which he broke all the time anyway.

"A mobile home," Kairi answered smartly.

"Oh, it's nice," the girl answered, satisfied with the answer. Sora thanked any deities that she did not take the mater further. She then looked at Sora and his company.

"Hi, I'm Dorothy, Dorothy Gale. And this is Toto," she said, introducing her and her terrier. "And who're you?" she asked.

"I'm Merideth Richards," Merideth replied, shaking Dorothy's hand. Dorothy shook back, quite enthusiastically in fact.

"I'm Kairi and this is Sora," Kairi said, indicating herself and then Sora. They shook Dorothy's hand as well, and then a confused look dawned over her face.

"Don't you two have last names?" the fifteen year old asked them. Sora and Kairi looked at each other. Even Merideth was looking at them with interest.

"Where we come from, you don't have a last name until you marry someone. Then you choose to share any last name that you wish," Sora explained. Kairi nodded to back him up.

"Oh, well that's very odd," Dorothy replied. "Those are also such strange clothes you all are wearing. Where did you all come from, might I ask?" Dorothy inquired. Sora looked from Kairi to Merideth before answering. He had a feeling by the time they left this world that he would have broken the world order, so he tried not to now.

"We come from very far away. Our clothes are probably made differently than here," he told her smartly. She eyed him suspiciously before nodding her approval. Then her face changed into revelation.

"Come on, let's go check on Aunt Em and Uncle Henry." She said, dragging Sora by the wrist, Kairi and Merideth just plodding along.

"Who's that?" Merideth asked as they weaved through the house to the front door. They stopped, Dorothy letting go of Sora and placing her hand on the door handle. She looked back at them with shock.

"Why, it's Auntie Em and Uncle Henry, of course. And then there's Zeke, Hickory and Hunk," she replied. Sora just nodded, going along with her. She turned the door handle. The door opened. And they were exposed to a whole new world.

They tentatively stepped out of the house and into the most colorful environment Sora had ever seen. There was color everywhere. There were conflagrations of red, blue, yellow and green, pink, white, and everything else in between. There were waterfalls and ponds and plants of every kind. They were large blooming flowers of orange, yellow, and all the other colors. There were houses and buildings, all different colors and there were trees lining different paths. There was a center that held a giant fountain, spewing crystal clear water in a spray. The town was beautiful and grand as birds cruised by, chirping and singing their songs of mystery. Splashes sounded in the streams as fish frothed and frogs plopped, their croaks audible. The sun burst through the trees, shining the with its warmth, love and security. The place was marvelous.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," Dorothy said to her dog. They group slowly walked to the center, and then from the distance came an enlarging pink bubble. Sparkles twirled and winked within it as it approached them. Then in a flash, where the bubble was, was now a a beautiful woman. She wore a massive pink ball dress and a magnificent crown. She had curly red hair and held a large wand. She looked at them with a motherly smile.

"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" the woman asked Dorothy, not even recognizing the others for the time being. Dorothy looked surprised.

"Who, me? Why, I'm not a witch at all. I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas," she replied earnestly. The woman sighed.

"Oh! Well. . . is that a witch?" she asked, pointing her wand at Toto.

"Who? Toto? Toto's my dog," Dorothy replied, picking the dog up.

"And what about you two?" she said, pointing at Merideth and Kairi. They both told the woman no, and then her gaze landed on Sora.

"And are you one?" she asked Sora. Kairi and Merideth giggled at him as his face turned red from embarrassment.

"Hey! I'm a boy!" Sora retorted, flailing his arms a little. The woman just looked at him with a chuckle.

"I know, young man," she replied. Kairi and Merideth, now with Dorothy, giggled harder than before. He just huffed and crossed his arms, looking away.

_Come now, milady, don't act this way,_ Roxas said, breaking into laughter.

_Can it._

"Well, I'm a little muddled. The Munchkins called me because a new witch has just dropped a house on the Wicked Witch of the East. And there's the house, and here you are, and that's all that is left of the Wicked Witch of the East," the woman explained, pointing over at Dorothy's house. And underneath the house were two feet protruding. The stuck out at odd angles, the legs being broken no doubt. There were black and white striped leggins on them and the feet were adorned with slippers. They were made out of ruby! Dorothy, along with Sora, Kairi and Merideth looked at them with shock and then back at the woman.

"And now all the Munchkins want to know is whether you are a good witch or a bad witch?" the woman said, that motherly smile never leaving her face.

"Oh, but I've already told you, I'm not a witch at all, and neither are they. Besides, witches are old and ugly," Dorothy exclaimed. Then there was a squeaking laughter and rustling of plants. Sora and company looked around and saw nothing, though they knew they heard something.

"What was that?" Sora asked the woman.

"Those were the Munchkins. They were laughing because I am a witch. I'm Glinda, the Witch of the North," she explained. Sora figured as much, but Dorothy was shocked.

"Oh! I beg your pardon, but I've never heard of a beautiful witch before," Dorothy exclaimed. Glinda just kept that smile.

"Only bad witches are ugly," Glinda replied. Then, little people appeared from everywhere. Their clothes were very strange, or at least Sora thought so. Plants sprung from the toes of the shoes and they wore many different colors, just like their surroundings. They varied in sizes, but none were taller than 1.2 meters. They wore weird glasses, and odd jewelry and nothing was normal about them. Int his world, Sora thought, normalcy was extremely overrated.

They were all excited and approached the group surrounding Glinda cautiously. "The Munchkins are happy because you freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East," Glinda told Dorothy.

"But what _are_ Munchkins?" Merideth asked as one tugged at her clothes.

"The little people who live in this land. It's Munchkinland, and you are their national heroine, my dear," she said, ending with a point to Dorothy. Then she looked at the remain Munchkins still somewhat hiding. There were so many! Sora had a hard time spotting them all.

"It's all right national heroine, my dear. It's all right you may all come out and thank her. It's all right now, you may all come out," Glinda said. Then the rest emerged. There must have been hundreds of them. Then Dorothy broke out into song.

_It really was no miracle. What happened was just this.  
The wind began to switch - the house to pitch and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch.  
Just then the Witch - to satisfy an itch went flying on her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch_

"Do you think she normally just starts singing?" Sora asked to Kairi. Kairi just shrugged her shoulders, seeming not to care. Merideth looked a tad annoyed. But Sora was having fun. He liked her little song. If only he knew that the Munchkins were about to break into song as well.

_And oh, what happened then was rich.  
The house began to pitch. The kitchen took a slitch.  
It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch,  
Which was not a healthy situation for the Wicked Witch.  
The house began to pitch. The kitchen took a slitch.  
It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch,  
Which was not a healthy situation for the Wicked Witch._

_Who began to twitch and was reduced to just a stitch of what was once the Wicked Witch!_

Then a couple of Munchkins walked up to the group of teens. Sora was smiling radiantly right now, having a great time with the songs and singing. The first Munchkin raised his voice.

"We thank you very sweetly, for doing it so neatly," he said with a bow. Then the second one bowed and completed the line: "You've killed her so completely, that we thank you very sweetly!" Everything stopped, and Sora was just a bit let down before. . .

"Let the joyous news be spread, The Wicked Old Witch at last is dead!" Glinda shouted to all. Then every Munchkin broke out with joyous song, laughter, and even music from a marching band. Sora had been to many worlds, but this was probably one of the most festive he had seen yet. Kairi still seemed not to care but Merideth was crossing her arms and furrowing her brow.

"Come on, Merideth, have some fun," Sora tried to tell her.

"We're her on a mission, not to have fun," she spat back. _How to the point can she get?_ Sora thought. Then more song was sung as they hopped into a carriage with Dorothy.

_Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!  
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.  
Wake up sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.  
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. She's gone where the goblins go,  
Below below below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.  
Ding Dong the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.  
Let them know  
The Wicked Witch is dead!_

Then the carriage stopped outside a building with stone steps. Horns blared and out came a male Munchkin, a bit taller than the others, from the same building. Based off of his manner and appearance, he could be surmised as the mayor of Munchkinland. Two others followed him, a barrister and some city fathers. He then began to talk to the group, mainly Dorothy.

"As mayor of the Munchkin City, in the county of the Land of Oz, I welcome you most regally!" he declared to them. Sora had never received such a warm and upbeat welcoming before in any other world.

"But we've got to verify it legally, to see," the barrister said from behind, poking his way into the conversation.

"To see?" the mayor replied.

"If she," the barrister retorted.

"If she?" the mayor asked dumbly.

"Is morally, ethically," the barrister said. Now the two city father joined in.

"Spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably and reliably dead."

_How do they rhyme EVERYTHING?_ Roxas exclaimed, mentally slamming his head into a wall, or so to say.

_I was just about to ask the same question,_ Sora responded, not really answering Roxas' question.

Then another Munchkin approached, his badge stating that he was the coroner. Yet, even with his profession, the mood did not drop the slightest. He unfurled a scroll and began to read.

"As coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her. And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead," he declared, to which there was applause. The mayor quieted down and continued.

"Then this is a day of Independence for all the Munchkins and their descendants," the mayor shouted.

"If any," the barrister piped up.

"Yes, let the joyous news be spread the wicked Old Witch at last is dead!" he shouted, flailing his arms. Then after another chorus of The Witch is Dead, three girls appeared before the group of teens. Sora still hadn't lost his pep. Kairi was about to arrive on Merideth's impatient boat, too.

And of course, they sung.

_We represent the Lullaby League.  
__The Lullaby League.  
__The Lullaby League.  
__And in the name of the Lullaby League we wish to welcome you to Munchkinland. _

Then three boys did the same.

_We represent the Lollypop Guild.  
__The Lollypop Guild.  
__The Lollypop Guild.  
__And in the name of the Lollypop Guild we wish to welcome you to Munchkinland._

Okay, now for the first time, Sora was annoyed. He didn't like the Lollypop Guild. But that annoyance was soon gone. Then, after much singing and dancing, which Sora joined in on, the was a terrible explosion of red smoke and fire, wind curtaining that area. All music and singing stopped. The Munchkins ran for cover and out of fear. The Oblivion was out within the blink of an eye. The person emerging from the fire and the smoke was a witch. Like your stereotypical witch. She had green skin with warts. Eyes as black as pitch to match her gown, cloak, and pointed hat. He held a broom with sagging ends. She twisted in multiple directions looking at all the Munchkins cowering and scared. She smiled at this, exposing yellow and horrid teeth, a fierce smile. She then saw the house and inspected it. She noticed the feet protruding.

"I thought you said she was dead?" Sora said to Glinda.

"She is, but this is her sister. This is the Wicked Witch of the West. And she is worse than the other witch," Glinda responded, her smile now gone and her eyes on the Wicked Witch of the West.

"Who killed my sister? Who killed the Witch of the East? Was it you?" she screeched, pointing her broom and Dorothy and the other teens.

"Leave them alone!" Glinda shouted.

"Stay out of this! I'm here for vengeance! So it was you, wasn't it?" the Witch asked of the teens.

"No! It was an accident! No one meant to kill her," Sora said, stepping protectively in front of the girls.

"Is that it? An accident, eh? Well little ones, I can cause accidents, too. Like this!" the Witch screamed. But just then, Glinda stopped her.

"Aren't you forgetting the Ruby Slippers?" Glinda asked, hoping to distract the Witch.

"Ah! The slippers, yes, the slippers." The Witch spun around and ran to the house. She reached for them, but they disappeared and the feet shriveled and curled in under the house. The Witch's face contorted into anger and shock.

"What?! The slippers are gone!" she screeched. She flailed around and marched up to Glinda and the teens. Sora flashed his Keyblade threateningly at the Witch. It seemed to have no affect.

"Get that Keyblade out of my face you brat!" the Witch yelled.

"How do you know what one of these are?" Sora asked. The fact that she knew was an intimidating factor.

"That doesn't matter! Now give me my slippers!" she howled.

"It's too late. There they are and there they'll stay," Glinda said, pointing to Dorothy's feet. Her shoes had been replaced by the slippers.

"Girl, give me my slippers. I'm the only one who knows how to use them. They are of no use to you!" the Witch said. She was almost pleading with Dorothy.

"Don't give in. Their magic must be powerful or else she would want them so badly," Glinda said to Dorothy and the others.

"Stay out of this Glinda, or I'll fix you, too!" the Witch spat.

"Oh, rubbish! You have no power here. Begone before someone drops a house on you, too!" Glinda spat back.

"Fine, I'll bide my time. As for you my dear, it is true I can't attend to you here as I'd like, but just try to stay out of my way. Just try! I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!" she screeched with a cackle. "And I won't forget you three!" she said, pointing at Sora, Kairi and Merideth.

And with a flash of smoke and fire, she was gone. The Munchkins returned cautiously and approached the group. Glinda sighed and looked to Dorothy and Sora.

"You two have made a mean enemy out of the With of the West. It'd be best if you two got out of Oz altogether and fast," Glinda told them. Sora new he could, but he would have to help Dorothy and seal the Keyhole.

"Oh how I wish, but how to I get back to Kansas?" Dorothy asked Glinda, fear in her voice.

"Well, the only person that could help you would be the wonderful Wizard of Oz himself," Glinda replied.

"Is he good or wicked?" Kairi asked.

"Oh very good, but very mysterious. He lives in the Emerald City, and that is a long way away from here. Did you all bring your broomsticks?" she asked them. Sora thought that was an absurd question. He had left his at home. They told her no.

"Well then you'll have to walk, and the only way to walk there would be to follow the Yellow Brick Road.

"Follow the Yellow Brick Road?" Dorothy asked. She mindlessly started walking along it, Sora, Kairi and Merideth following her. Sora thought it was obvious, but he wondered where the Red Brick Road went? He looked and flashed his goofy grin at Kairi and Merideth.

"Ready for an adventure?" he asked through that grin. Kairi giggled at him, covering her mouth. Merideth sighed.

"It's about time," Merideth said, shifting her magical staff.

Song was broken into again as Sora and the girls followed the Yellow Brick Road.

_You're off to see the Wizard  
__The Wonderful Wizard of Oz  
__You'll find he is a whiz of a Wiz  
__If ever a Wiz there was.  
__If ever oh ever a Wiz there was  
__The Wizard of Oz is one because  
__Because, because, because, because, because. . .  
__Because of the wonderful things he does!_

Sora turned around along with Dorothy and waved at the Munchkins. He was giddy and having so much fun already. Kairi turned to him.

"Sora, how can you always have fun and be happy all the time? The Witch knows the Keyblade. That means she _has_ to know Maleficent and that means Heartless," Kairi asked him. He looked to her as they walked down the road.

"Because Kai, after everything I have seen, it is best to just have fun. If you dwell in dark and depressing thoughts, then you will lose. If you doubt for just one second, failure will follow. I have to be happy and have a goofy time because it will help me win in the end. That's why," he explained to her. She just gave him a small comforting smile before turning and talking to Merideth. Then they came to a fork in the road about two hours later. It was already late afternoon and the sun was sinking. It would be night soon.

"Oh, now which way do we go?" Dorothy exclaimed in frustration.

"Well that way is a very nice way!" a voice announced. They all looked around for the source. All they saw was a scarecrow, its arm pointing to the right.

"Was it the scarecrow?" Sora asked, looking at the startling detailed scarecrow.

"Now Sora, don't be silly," Dorothy said. "Scarecrows—"

"It's pleasant that way, too" the voice said.

"—don't talk. . ." she said. They all looked at the scarecrow. Its arm was now pointing to the left.

"Wasn't he just pointing the other way?" Kairi asked. They all looked at him as his arms crossed, pointing both ways.

"Of course, people do go both ways," he said to them.

"HA! I knew it was the scarecrow," Sora exclaimed, fist pounding the air.

"Well can't you make up your mind?" Merideth asked it.

"Well that's just the problem!" he told the group. "I can't make up my mind 'cause I haven't got a brain!"

"How can you talk without one?" Sora asked. He looked down at them

"I don't know, but would you help me down, please?" Sora ran up to him and unhooked the nail holding the Scarecrow up. The Scarecrow fell and straw flew out of it.

"Oh, there goes some of me," Scarecrow said. He picked it up and stuffed it into the clothing he wore.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Kairi asked him.

"Aw no, I just pick it back up and shove it back in!" he explained to her, or them as it seemed. A crow landed on the shoulder of Scarecrow and he tried to shoo it away, but it wasn't scared. Sora just snapped his fingers and it flew off.

"Oh, I'm such a failure, all 'cause I haven't got a brain," he said glumly.

"Well, what would you do if you had one?" Sora asked. He was interested in knowing what a brained Scarecrow would do.

_I could while away the hours_

_Conferrin' with the flowers. Consultin' with the rain. _

_And my head I'd be scratchin' _

_While my thoughts were busy hatchin' _

_If I only had a brain. _

_I'd unravel every riddle _

_For any individ'le _

_In trouble or in pain. _

_Oh, I could tell you why the ocean's near the shore _

_I could think of things I never thunk before. _

_And then I'd sit and think some more. _

_I would not be just a nuffin' _

_My head all full of stuffin' _

_My heart all full of pain. _

_I would dance and be merry. Life would be a ding-a-derry _

_If I only had a brain!_

Sora clapped at his song with Dorothy, to which Scarecrow bowed. Kairi just smiled a bit while Merideth seemed not to have cared less.

"That was wonderful! If our scarecrow could do that back in Kansas, the crows would be scared to pieces," Dorothy told him. Sora was sure he would blush if he could.

"Is that so?" Scarecrow asked.

"Yep," Dorothy answered.

"Where's Kansas?" Scarecrow asked.

"Why, that's my home. And I'm so eager to get back that I'm going all the way to Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz for help," she explained to him.

"Do you think if I went with you all to see this wizard, that he would give me some brains?" Scarecrow asked.

"Well, I don't see why not," Sora replied, helping Scarecrow to his feet.

"But there's an evil Witch after us," Merideth told him. "It may be dangerous."

"A witch? I'm afraid of no witch. Only thing I'm afraid of is a lighted match, but I'll go through a box full fr a chance at some brains!" he told them.

"Well, then come on!" Sora said.

"Really, well this is great! We're going to see the Wizard!" And together, Sora, Scarecrow and Dorothy started skipping and singing the song the Munchkins had earlier. Sora had a blast. Why was he skipping and singing with people he hardly knew on a different world? The answer was simple and couldn't be argued. That answer was because he wanted to. After the skipping and singing, they continued until evening was descending and the sun left the world, casting night.

"Oh, we better find some shelter," Dorothy said, Toto prancing at her heels. They strayed off the Yellow Brick Road and into a nearby thicket of trees. The overhanging, thick boughs were enough to protect from any rain. And the soft, treadled ground was spongy and soft, perfect for sleeping.

"Scarecrow, you may want to back up. I'm going to make a fire," Sora said after he returned to their little campsite with a lot of wood. He tipped it into a pile and arranged some of it in a more orderly fashion. After Scarecrow backed up he pointed his Keyblade at the pile.

"Fire!" he shouted, and with a rush and whoosh, fire sprung from the wood. The wood crackled and pitched as the fire took full effect.

"Are you a wizard?" Dorothy exclaimed. Sora chuckled and took it as a compliment as he sat down before the flames, letting the heat seep into him. It felt good after a long days travel. All the nights that he, Goofy and Donald would travel, a warm fire had always boosted his morale. He loved the feeling of adventuring, saving the worlds and fighting darkness. But there were times he wish he didn't have to, because while he was saving one world, another one would fall to Maleficent. He looked over at Dorothy.

"If I were, there'd be no darkness in the worlds," Sora told her. He looked into the fire with a blank face.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Kairi asked him. He looked over to her.

"Nothing, Kai. Nothing at all." He looked at them all before crawling into his tent and sleeping for the night.

**HoL:TS**

_Oz  
__July 24, 2010_

They had been on the road for a couple hours when they came across an apple orchard. Sora was in a great mood as the sun was shining bright and he was with his friends. Riku may not have been there, but he was still having a great time. He thought he saw movement behind one of the trees but he quickly dismissed it. Then they heard a squeaking of rusty metal. They glanced over and Sora saw a man. A man made out of tin! Sora thought you could find anything in this world. They rushed over to him. He was frozen in place, his hand holding up an axe. He was trying to talk.

"What?" Sora asked him. He responded and Sora thought he heard him say oil can. "He said oil can." Sora then saw one and retrieved it by the house. He tapped it a couple times until the thick oil began to ptyalize out of the spout. He then applied the lubricant to his mouth hinges. After some movement he was able to fluently move his jaws.

"My- my- my- my goodness! I can talk again! Oh please, oil my arms, my elbows!" Tin Man pleaded. Sora not only did that, but started oiling everywhere, getting quite a bit on himself, as he helped out Tin Man. The girls and Scarecrow helped him get his hinges and joints moving again.

"Oh!" Tin Man shouted.

"Oh, did I hurt you?" Kairi asked him. Sora looked up and saw that she looked worried.

"No, no. That felt _wonderful_. I've held that axe up for ages," he explained to her.

"How did you end up like this?" Merideth asked.

"Well, one day I was out here chopping wood when it started to rain. In mid-chop, I just rusted up. I've been here ever since, just rusting away," he told the group. Sora thought about how awful that would have been to endure.

"Well you're perfect now," Sora said, wiping the oil off of his hands onto a nearby rag that was sitting with the oil can.

"Perfect? If you think I am perfect then bang on my chest. See that I'm not! Go ahead and bang on it!" Tin Man told him. Sora obliged and pounded on his metal chest. A hollow echo met their ears.

"See? It's empty. The tinsmith forgot to give me a heart," Tin Man said.

_He can have no heart and still not transform into a Heartless?_

_Or not be a Nobody? How odd._

_ He should consider himself lucky._

"No heart?" Sora asked. The Tin Man nodded before, you guessed it, broke into song.

_When a man's an empty kettle _

_He should be on his mettle_

_And yet I'm torn apart_

_Just because I'm presumin' _

_That I could be kind-a human_

_If I only had a heart_

_I'd be tender, I'd be gentle _

_And awful sentimental _

_Regarding Love and Art _

_I'd be friends with sparrows _

_And the boy who shoots the arrows _

_If I only had a heart_

_Picture me a balcony _

_Above a voice sings low _

_I hear a beat _

_How sweet! _

_Just to register emotion _

_Jealousy, Devotion_

_And really feel the part _

_I could stay young and chipper _

_And I'd lock it with a zipper _

_If I only had a heart! _

This time Kairi joined in on the clapping as Tin Man had taken it a step further and added a dance routine to his song. He then plopped down on his metal butt and looked at them.

"We were talking and we wanted to know if you want to come with us. The Wizard of Oz should be able to get you a heart along with his brains!" Dorothy said to the Tin Man while pointing at Scarecrow. Sora nodded happily.

"Really? That'd be great. I'd love to get a heart," he said. "But what if when we get there, he doesn't give me one?"

"Well he has to. We've already come so long to see him," Scarecrow said. Just then a mad and high pitched cackling came from above. They all turned and Sora spotted the Wicked Witch of the West standing on Tin Man's roof. She had her broomstick and was pointing devilishly at them all. Toto yapped at her.

"You call that long, eh? You still have a very long way to go!" she said to them, her voice dripping with poison and deceit. "You've only just begun and you've already forgotten about me! I haven't forgotten about you, though!" the witch screamed at them, that sick laughter commencing. She eyed the Scarecrow and Tin Man and Sora. Her lip twisted in a snarl of disgust.

"Helping the little lady along, are you, my fine gentlemen?" she asked. Sora just glared up at the old hag. Tin Man and Scarecrow just nodded, both shaking a small bit.

"Well stay away from her!" she screeched. "Or I'll stuff a mattress with you!" she said, pointing at Scarecrow. He jumped back a bit out of fear.

"And I'll make a beehive out of you!" she said, making Tin Man retreat as well.

"Oh, and you, _Sora_," she said eying him down. Her voice had become far more serious. "Maleficent has told me about you. You are to stay away from that Keyhole or I shall send the Heartless after you and your friends. I will make sure you DIE!"

"You will not hurt us!" Scarecrow piped up through his riveting fear.

"Eh, Scarecrow? You want to play ball? Fine!" She screeched. She held out her hand.

"Firaga!" And with that a ball of flame ejected and caught the ground at his feet on fire. He screamed in terror and jumped away from it. Tin Man, Kairi and Merideth put the fire out as Sora and Dorothy stared up at the Witch.

"And as for you Dorothy, I wish you the best of luck with The Wizard of Oz, and that you have a safe trip back to Kansas," she beckoned before disappearing in a flash of more red smoke and hot fire. Sora was starting to hate that Witch when he turned to make sure no one was hurt. After everyone had recovered and was up on their feet again, they continued down the Yellow Brick Road, now more weary and cautiously than they had before.

"Whether I get brains or not, I'll make sure you get there," Scarecrow told Dorothy and Sora. Tin man said the same but about him getting a heart.

"I'll take you there because he needs to tell us where that Keyhole is," Sora said with that big grin.

"All of you, all five of you are the best of friends anyone could ask for," Dorothy said. Everyone shared their moments of blushing, minus Scarecrow and Tin Man. They continued on their way, Sora skipping ans singing with Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Man, leaving Kairi and Merideth to walk behind them.

More hours crept by as they made their way into a tangled forest. The boughs hung low, full of dread. Creatures stirred and rustled through the thick undergrowth. Wind howled and blew leaves around their feet. Dorothy and Scarecrow were scared as the sun was blotted out by the avaricious leaves overhead. Tin Man was also scared as he hunched close to Dorothy. Merideth was having no problem as was Sora. Kairi seemed a bit on edge though. Water gurgled in the distance from a nearby stream. Toads croaked and bugs chirruped. The forest was eerie as mist started to creep.

"I don't like this forest," Dorothy said. Sora silently agreed. "Do you think we'll meet any wild animals?" she asked.

"Oh we might," Tin Man observed.

"Any that eat. . . straw?" Scarecrow asked fearfully, holding himself as if to protect his innards.

"Maybe, but mostly lions, tigers and bears," Tin Man replied. This earned even more fearful looks from Dorothy and Scarecrow. Sora looked back to find Merideth once again not caring and that Kairi looked a tad scared.

"Lions, tigers, and bears? Oh my!" Dorothy. She ended up running with Scarecrow and Tin Man, repeating that over and over again until a roar sounded. Out of the depths of the dark and twisted forest jumped an anthropomorphic lion. Merideth took Dorothy to hide behind a tree. Merideth and Kairi tried to join Sora as he stood in front of that tree with his Oblivion out. He motioned Kairi back having Merideth step up next to him, Firaga ready in his mind should he need it. Tin Man and Scarecrow were scared so badly that they just collapsed to where they were. The lion growled and bellowed at Tin Man and Scarecrow. It eyed Sora but decided not to advance. Then it stood on its hind legs, its tail wavering back and forth as it brought its paws into a boxing stance. Sora just about started laughing at it.

"Put 'em up! Put 'em up!" Lion said as he looked between Tin Man and Scarecrow. "Which one of ya want to go first? I'll fight you both if you want. I'll fight you with one paw behind my back. I'll fight you on one foot," Lion said. Sora thought he seemed rather scatterbrained.

"I'll fight you with my eyes closed—eh. Pulling an axe on me, eh?" Lion said approaching Tin Man, placing Scarecrow behind his back. He seemed to notice this and whipped around.

"Trying to sneak up on me, eh?" he asked

"Just let us go," Scarecrow said.

"Afraid, huh?" Lion asked. "Are ya scared?" he turned to Tin Man. "How long can you stay fresh in that can? Come on and fight you junkyard! Fight you lopsided bag of hay!" Lion was still putting up that stance. Toto barked and ran at him. Dorothy ran and picked Toto up. Lion advanced at the girl before Sora stood in between them and he punched Lion. Lion then backpedaled and started crying.

"Shame on you!" Sora shouted at him. Kairi and Merideth approached while Scarecrow and Tin Man got up.

"What'd you do that for? I didn't bite 'em!" Lion said in between sobs. Sora dismissed his Keyblade.

"It's bad enough you picking on a straw man, but going around trying to bite dogs and little girls is completely uncalled for," Sora reprimanded.

"Well you didn't have to go and hit me, did ya? Is my nose bleeding," he asked, holding his head and face up. Dorothy approached him.

"Well of course not. Why, with you going around picking on those weaker than you, you're nothing but a big coward!" she told him. He continued crying.

"You're right, I am a coward," he said, his sobbing getting worse. Sora was starting to wonder how he could speak through all of that crying. "I haven't any courage. I scare myself even and I haven't slept for weeks. Look at the circles under my eyes," he explained, the crying finally lessening.

"Why don't you try counting sheep?" Tin Man suggested. Lion just looked at him.

"I can't 'cause I'm afraid of 'em," he explained. Okay, now that was pathetic.

"Maybe the wizard can help him, too?" Kairi asked. Everyone nodded in agreement. "I'm positive he'll give you some courage."

Now that he was in a better mood, he began to dance and sing. Sora was expecting it by now after seeing the rest of the world thus far.

_Yeh, it's sad, believe me, Missy _

_When you're born to be a sissy _

_Without the vim and verve_

_But I could show my prowess _

_Be a lion not a mouse _

_If I only had the nerve _

_I'm afraid there's no denyin' _

_I'm just a dande-lion _

_A fate I don't deserve _

Then the others joined, including Sora.

_I'd be brave as a blizzard _

_I'd be gentle as a lizard _

_I'd be clever as a gizzard _

_I'd find the Keyhole better_

_If the Wizard is a Wizard who will serve _

_Then I'm sure to get a brain_

_A heart_

_A home_

_The nerve_

_The Keyhole!_

They had finished and now the forest wasn't so gloomy. They all locked arms and began to sing and skip. Sora looked over at Kairi and beckoned her to join them. She finally gave in and joined, leaving Merideth behind as they all skipped and sang, following the Yellow Brick Road. They made clear of the forest as night finally cast its deathly gaze over the world. Another fire was made and stories were told by Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion. Sora laughed and told them stories of his and Kairi's home world. He decided not to even regard the world order any more because he had broken it so many times before. Merideth never shared anything about her home world, but Sora never pressed her for details. After another hour they all went to sleep, unaware of the plotting taking place so far away.

**HoL:TS**

The Wicked Witch of the West stood in her large tower that overlooked her realm and castle. Sharp, jagged and toothy mountains rose in the distance, the snow peaked caps reaching hungrily into the sky. Dark and dead forests lurked at its base and evil flying monkeys chorused a war chant as they marched. A torch flickered in the room, casting dancing shadows all over her papers, books, potions, supplies and large crystal ball. Her general stood next to her as she gazed at the sleeping group, so calm and peaceful.

"Aha! So! You won't take warning, eh? All the worse for you, then. I'll take care of you now instead of later! Hah! When I gain those ruby slippers, my power will be the greatest in Oz! And now, my beauties! Something with poison in it, I think. With poison in it, but attractive to the eye and soothing to the smell! Poppies! Poppies! Poppies!" She magically sprayed the poison over the poppy field near the group.

She cackled madly into the darkness.

* * *

TUH: MUST KILL LOLLYPOP GUILD!

TN: At least you didn't have to write it!

TUH: I'd rather write LIGHTNING!

TN: God bless your soul.

TUH: God? I think you mean ZOD!  
TUH: ZOD ZOD ZOD

TN: Yes, simple-minded Herald, Zod.  
TN: Anyway. . .

TN: While he is in a rant, drop us a review. There are MANY MORE people reading this than there are reviewing, so look at that big box below and drop us a comment! Thanks and see you in the next chapter!

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	6. The Wizard, the Witch, and the Way Back

TN: This is a quick REAL note. Sorry about the delay on this one guys. It is my fault because I do everything but I'ltorien, and I had a lot of affairs to get done prior to this. I feel really bad about how long I have made all of you wait, so for that, I put in quite a bit of plot reveals. I hope that makes up for the time. Please enjoy!

TUH: Just to be clear, it's all his fault.

* * *

TUH: Here I thought that we would never get this out.

TN: But we did, that's all the matters.

TUH: If it were me, I'd be demoted.

TN: You already were today, so what does it matter?

TUH: This is discrimination.

TN: But I get to take a break the next two chapters. Did you hear that? You have him for two chapters. By yourself. Good luck.

TUH: Oh look, Unending is looking pretty juicy right now. . .

TN: No.

TUH: Maybe

TN: For all those people wondering, give it two more two more chapters and we'll get to see what Riku has been up to, okay?

TUH: Time for disclaimers!

TN: Roxas! Naminé!

Roxas: *sigh* They do not own Disney, Square Enix, Fire Emblem, blah blah blah.

Naminé: Oh come on Roxas, be more cheerful than that. *leans and kisses him on the cheek*

Roxas: I'm always happy with you around.

Merideth: Ugh. . . get a room. Enjoy and review everyone!

* * *

**Chapter VI**

**The Wizard, the Witch, and the Way Back Home**

_Olympus Coliseum (Nighttime)  
__July 25, 2010_

Why was he stuck with such idiots? Well, the brothers were idiots, but Sephiroth wasn't. They picked at him, he snapped back, and that urged them to continue. That was an idiotic mistake, but he wasn't an idiot, no, just impatient. And here he was, Lord of the Dead, Ruler of the Underworld, Hades himself, working with these three lesser minions. Yes, Hades was Maleficent's ally. The thing was, was that he could care less whether she got Kingdom Hearts or not. He could care less if she got the remaining Princesses. He could care less about her goal for immortality. All he cared about was _his_ plans. Those were the plans that mattered. So what if he was using her? Why get caught up in the details? Phil's rule number whatever: focus on the game, worry about the details later. Was that one of Phil's rules? Probably not, but oh well, it didn't matter, such details.

"Come on, Silver," one of the brothers said to Sephiroth. Four of Maleficent's most trusted allies. Why did _they_ have to do something so mundane and easy? Wasn't this a job for a Nobody? Oh yeah, she doesn't control those. He laughed inside his head at that thought. She hated that fact.

"I'm warning you, Kefka," Sephiroth retorted, anger singeing his voice, adding to the burning fire that brooded between them both. Kefka's brother was smart enough not to go to far as to push Sephiroth. Sephiroth was a pretty boy, all high and mighty, but the dude could fight. Not the best person to piss off, Hades thought.

"Ohohoho, I'm _soooo_ scared!" Kefka said in that dumb ass, frilly voice of his. Even on missions he still acted like an imbecile. What did Maleficent possibly see in him? Or his brother for that matter?

"Kefka, let's focus for once," his brother told him complacently. Kefka looked at him and that wide smile turned into a grimace. That changed a lot about the clown.

"Fine, whatever." What in the underworld was that? Where was that stupid voice? Kefka had just used a serious tone and it sent chills down Hades' spine. The air cooled and the potted flames bordering the Coliseum stands flickered, lowering into their pots. Insects became quiescent, birds flew away, and silence reigned supreme. That voice meant that shit was gonna go down, and Hades did not want to be nearby when that happened. That was just scary.

"Besides," he continued in that voice, "Mama's Boy _is_ leading us after all." The rest of his sentence was back to that shrill and happy tone. Sadistic was more like it. A flash of light accompanied by the sound of an unsheathed sword interrupted them. Half a centimeter from Kefka's throat was Sephiroth's masamune. Dear Zeus! That was lightning quick! Hades had been looking at them and still hadn't seen that coming before it had already been done.

"One more fuc—"

"GUYS!" Hades shouted, flaring red and fire spurting from his extremities. They all flinched from the surprise except for Kefka. His eyes gleamed with hunger at the sudden inferno before them. Hades cooled down before continuing, slicking his "hair" back and reinvigorating his swagger.

"We are here on a mission. You two can kill each other later. But for now, we need to do what's needed. Why _you_ are here, I'll never know," Hades said calmly, pointing at Kefka's brother.

"It's to keep an eye on Kefka," he responded immediately. Hades thought that was near impossible but shrugged it away. He needed to keep Maleficent happy for his own reasons. Wait, what was he afraid of? He was a GOD! He couldn't die!

_Ah,_ a voice said in his head. _Remember, she _will_ be one as well._

Hades shuddered at the thought of her immortality, her unlimited power, her Kingdom Hearts. He sighed and looked at the men before him.

"Kefka, give what you have to Sephiroth. He will go to the places you can't reach. Sephiroth, you know what to do. Kefka, get going," Hades ordered to them. They all nodded, which surprised him. It was rare when his orders were followed. Then he remembered.

"Oh, and Kefka," he said, stopping the sadist clown.

"What?" he replied simply.

"Don't blow anything up, okay?" Hades said seriously.

"AWWW, you just have to go and ruin everything!" Kefka replied in that silly tone. It worried Hades because he actually sounded genuinely disappointed. Half an hour passed as Hades oversaw the preparations. He thought it was way too early for them to be made, but why anger Maleficent? He was using her and needed her power. She had her master plan, which was pretty obvious: acquire Kingdom Hearts and become immortal. Then she could kill the Keybrat like she's wanted to for over a year now. She had her master plan, he had his. His was one he had waited thousands of years for. The group assembled and they were finally leaving the coliseum. They stopped at the gates and looked back.

"For you, mother," Sephiroth said. _Geez Louise, kid,_ Hades thought. Is he really serious? Is he still on about that? Why doesn't he grow up some?

"You know, Sephy," Kefka said. Sephiroth just gave him a glare, sharp as his sword. "Maybe we can visit the Pelegostos next." Sephiroth's look became puzzled as well as everyone else.

"Why?" he asked.

"So they can shrink her head. That way you can carry it everywhere you go," Kefka replied happily. Hades thought he could _feel_ the hatred and anger radiate through Sephiroth.

"That was a very poor choice of words, Kefka," his brother said. With a snap of his fingers, Hades brought the four of them to the Underdrome. Sephiroth initiated an all out attack at Kefka, blood lust coursing through him like adrenaline. Kefka lit his palms up with fire and started dancing wildly. Hades and Kefka's brother were sitting in the stands, popcorn and sodas in hand.

"Let's get ready toooo. . . RUMBLE!" Hades shouted. Undead filled the stands. Sephiroth and Kefka fought it out.

_Hopefully they won't kill each other._

**HoL:TS**

_Oz  
__July 25, 2010_

Morning dawned warm and sunny, as always in Oz. Sora smiled as he awoke to the smell of frying bacon and sausage. His eyes fluttered open a bit, cracks of sunlight striking them even through the tent, causing his head to sharpen in pain. He turned away from it with a grunt. He stretched his sore and weary legs, tired from all the walking and hiking since they had arrived in Oz. After his body and mind slowly awakened, he crawled out of his tent and the heat lessened, the breeze blowing its cool air on him and also bringing the scent of freshly cooked meat. Everyone was already up as usual. He was always the last to wake up. As soon as he sat down cross-legged, a paper plate was handed to him with food on it, fresh and hot. He dug right in, relishing the favor. Once his food was down his gullet, he looked around.

"Who cooked this? It's almost as good as my cooking!" Merideth raised her hand. He looked at her questioningly. "Really?"

"On my home world, I was the only girl with three older brothers. It was only me and mom, so I learned a lot of household skills. I also learned my magic from my eldest brother, Michael," she explained. Sora thanked her and continued his food. He preferred his own cooking. He was quite the chef but during his previous travels, he didn't have the choice to cook. Goofy was better than him, so he would cook all their meals, and in a gourmet fashion as well.

"So how much farther do you all think Emerald City could be from here?" Dorothy asked. Sora, Kairi and Merideth shrugged their shoulders, being alien to this world. She looked expectantly at Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man. Scarecrow and Lion shrugged their shoulders as well. The Tin Man sat and thought about it, stroking his metal chin.

"Well, when I used to travel, I had been to it a couple of times. It should be really close by now," he told them all.

"That's great! Now I'll get home!" Dorothy exclaimed while Toto yapped.

"And I'll get a heart," Tin Man said.

"And a brain," from Scarecrow.

"Some nerve," Lion said.

"And he can show us where the Keyhole is at!" Sora said, energy filling him up. He was ready to find it and go to the next world. They had to stop Maleficent. Sora threw his paper plate into the fire and disassembled his tent. After packing it up and shouldering his backpack, he waited for the others impatiently. On this new journey he decided to take a pack with him, and so far it was helpful. It also took the burden of carrying everything instead of him jamming things in his pockets. Kairi and Merideth had similar ones, but they carried less stuff. Soon afterward, everyone had finished packing and were ready to head out. They stepped onto the Yellow Brick Road and continued up a steep hill. They finally reach the sunny top and gazed in awe, mouths dropped, at the sight before them. On the other side of a massive field of poppies was the legendary Emerald City. It twinkled in the sunlight and beckoned them to advance.

"See, you were right, Tin Man," Sora said happily, his goofy grin flashing, it was dazzling in the sunlight. Everyone was happy and excited, even Merideth, and soon they were descending the hill and running into the field of poppies.

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's run!" Scarecrow shouted. The poppies were high and Sora was leaping through them, laughing and shouting out in joy. He was skipping almost at times and was enjoying life. Scarecrow kept falling down and Tin Man was swinging his axe in a fun way, a firm grip keeping it from flying. Lion was prancing like a lion would and growling in delight. He turned and saw the radiant faces of Kairi and Merideth. Then suddenly, he felt different, funny in a way. All of his energy he just had was slowly ebbing away. His run and leaps turned into a sluggish trot, and the wiry and wispy stems of the poppies enveloped him, begging to pull him down. They whispered to him, telling him the secrets that sleep would give him. They told him how soft they were to lay down on. Just then, a nap sounded really good. But they were almost at the Yellow Brick Road and the poppies were shortening. What would it hurt, just to take a nap? He wasn't the only one as everyone but Tin Man and Scarecrow were falling and starting to sleep.

_Sora! Fight it!_ Roxas screamed at him. It was a far off noise, like a jet landing on the other side of town.

"What. . .?" Sora fell down in to the soft flowers and his head felt light, free of thought. Or maybe it was the fact that Roxas had left and manifested, trying to shake him awake. It wasn't doing any good.

lemme lone

"Sora! Snap out of it!" Roxas said again.

ima sleep now

"Sora! Naminé! Go help Kai! Sora stay with me! Tin Man, come here!"

whys itso bright

"Sora!"

nooo sooo tired i need sle—

Sleep overtook Sora and the others.

**HoL:TS**

_Unknown  
__Unknown_

_ Darkness. Silence. Enveloping, swirling, hungry, silent darkness. It was all around and nowhere at the same time. Kairi fluttered her eyes open to look around. Her head felt groggy and her vision seemed blurry. She felt weak and defeated, like after having the flu for a week. Her body tumbled and flipped through the darkness. Was it air? She couldn't tell. It felt like nothing, not even fluid friction met her skin. She righted herself and gazed around, more awake and aware now. Where was she? Where was Sora? Where were the others? She cascaded down into the darkness before her feet touched something solid. It felt unnerving at first, but she became accustomed to the feeling of ground again. She looked down and saw nothing whatsoever, just more darkness. She took a tentative step forward and felt more solidity. The darkness was crushing her, scaring her. She wanted to scream and run wild. She wanted to get out of here. But most of all, she wanted to know where she was._

_ **Do not be afraid.**_

_A voice rang out from the nothingness, the darkness. Kairi spun around in all directions looking for the person that said it. Now that she thought about the voice, it was genderless. She could not discern a sex from the voice. It was ancient, mystical and mesmerizing. _

_ "Where are you?" Kairi asked humbly into the darkness, her voice carrying on forever._

_ **You are one who possesses a heart null of darkness.**_

_ "What do you mean? Who are you?" Kairi asked, now more meaningfully. Whatever or whoever was talking to her was apparently not hostile. _

_ **Sora will be the one to open the door to the light.**_

_ "Sora? What about him? What does that mean?" she walked around on the solid darkness._

_ **He has faced many hardships already and has sacrificed more than anyone else. Will you help him stand through the ones to come? They will be harder yet, and he will surely die if you do not help him.**_

_"Of course I'll help him, but that still doesn't answer all my questions," Kairi said. She knew Sora had been through a lot all ready, but death? Will he die without her help?_

_ **My question is. . . will you stand by him when he opens the door?**_

_ "Yes, I will. Where am I, though?" Kairi said._

_ **Where do you think you are, Kairi?**_

_ Suddenly, the darkness was gone. In all directions came a dazzling white light, stretching beyond what her vision could take. Then she looked down. She was standing on a stained glass platform. It was circular and white with pink and red streaks and wisps shooting through it in intricate patterns. A large painting of herself was in the middle. She looked older in this picture, in her twenties easily. She was wielding Destiny's Embrace and her face was one of experience, yet emotion. Around the outer edges were circles containing the six other princesses of heart. These circles where white. Closer to her however, were many circles. _

_ Right above her head and looking down at her was Sora. His face was within a blue heart and he looked older, too. But he looked like he had gone through hell. His face was edged with lines and his eyes bore something she thought to be mysterious. To his left was Riku. He was in a dark circle with cracks of white within. He was wearing very strange attire and a hood was pulled up to hide his face. The only thing she saw was a smile. After him was a shadowed silhouette of a girl. A keyhole was glowing, ready to be unlocked and reveal the occupant. Next was Roxas in a large golden circle. Roxas wore knight's armor with a strange insignia dominating the chest. The symbol on his shield however was Mickey's. His face was distraught. He looked anguished, yet determined for the new perils ahead. A single tear ran down his face. _

_ Continuing on was a circle with King Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Nothing much had changed about them except that the King looked beyond stressed, which was expected. In the next circle was Merideth. She looked sad as well, but she had changed definitely. It was very ominous. Going on around was another circle. It had two occupants, but this one was shadowed, masking the people in it with a glowing Keyhole waiting to be unlocked, to reveal them. The same thing happened again with another two people, the Keyhole waiting. But one thing ticked her curiosity and fear. Where was Naminé? Why was Roxas so sad?_

_ No. She wouldn't believe it. She couldn't believe it. She shrugged it away before looking at the platform in its whole. She had never realized the background. She was standing on a bluff, hanging over a vast field. In the distance stood a tower, reaching high into the darkened sky. All around it were people and creatures alike, fighting in an epic battle. The ground was red, stained by the gratuitous amount of bloodshed. Was this. . ._

_ . . .supposed to be the future?_

_ **Welcome Kairi, to your heart. You are in H****ā****todaibu. You have immense power locked within, but it is up to you to unleash it and control it. ** _

_ "How do I do that?" she asked fearfully._

_ **You must search for it.**_

_ Kairi nodded in understanding before diving within her mind. She searched for some hidden power, some lost vessel of hope and cognition. She rooted around, almost ready to give up when she found something. The power it radiated was immense and she dove after it. But a barrier stood between herself and it. She attacked at the wall with everything she had, hungering after the secrets behind it. She looked for weaknesses and points of entry but found none. This was her body, her mind, and it would hold nothing from its master. With an almighty effort, she broke through. A torrent of power flooded her mind and body. She felt it course and surge through her, filling her sense and mind. She felt powerful, but would it be enough for what she had seen. She opened her eyes. The ground rumbled and three pedestals shot into the air. Three objects shimmered to life above each. A sword. A staff. A shield._

_ She looked at the shield. It was black and red, and King Mickey's seal adorned it. It radiated its own power. _

_ **Power sleeps within you.**_

_Her head shot around to the staff. It was green with a blue head. The head was also the King's symbol. She felt energy burst from it in waves._

_ **If you give it form. . .**_

_ Finally her head looked forward at the sword, the hilt emblazoned with the seal again. She could sense pure strength and rage burning from it, lusting for blood. _

_ **It will give you strength.**_

_** Choose well.**_

_ She took that as to mean she had to pick one of them. She looked at the each and walked toward them. She circled each one, evaluating them the best she could. She wanted to help Sora and the others in anyway she could. In the short time she fought at The World That Never Was, she had not been the greatest with melee. She wanted to learn magic. Naminé was great at memory magic, so maybe being her Somebody meant she could do magic as well. She approached the staff and held it in her hands. Mystical power resonated from it and flowed through her. She felt like it completed her. _

_ **The power of the mystic.**_

_** Inner strength.**_

_** A staff of wonder and ruin.**_

_** Is this the power you seek?**_

_ "Yes," Kairi answered. The staff flashed away into thousands of strands of light. They melded into her body and she felt energy spate and become one with her being. The energy flowed and invigorated her. _

_ **Your path is set.**_

_** Now what will you give up in exchange?**_

_She looked at the remaining sword and shield. Above all else, she wanted to protect the ones she loved. It was no debate in her head that she wanted the shield. So she walked to the sword, ready to dismiss it. She took a hold of it._

_ **The power of the warrior.**_

_** Invincible courage.**_

_** A sword of terrible destruction.**_

_** You give up this power?** _

_ "Yes," she answered defiantly. It dispelled and vanished The shield did the same as the staff and flowed into her, becoming one with her soul. _

_ **The power of the guardian.**_

_** Kindness to aid friends.**_

_** A shield to repel all.**_

_** You have chosen this over the warrior. Your path is now more clear than before.**_

_ Kairi felt satisfied and ready. She could take on the worlds. And her friends would be there until the end._

_ But what about Naminé?_

_ Suddenly, the floor vanished and she was sent hurtling upward. A light began to grow. It was intense and bright. She squinted at it as her body flew at unheard of speeds. It grew in intensity and and she threw her arms over her eyes and face. She started screaming as the light assaulted her. Unknown and ancient voices racked her psyche, threatening to deafen her mind. Chants long lost sung and the light grew. She felt her hair singe and her skin burn. She screamed as it tore away at her flesh. She screamed._

_ And screamed._

_ Until it all stopped._

_ The silence had never seemed so loud._

_ **Do not be afraid. . .**_

**HoL:TS**

_Oz  
__July 25, 2010_

"Kairi! Wake up! C'mon Kai!" Sora felt worried. She was the only one who hadn't woken up yet. He didn't even fully comprehend how _he_ or the others woke up for that matter. All he remembered in the daze was a far off voice and then a blizzard of snow. The thing was, he wasn't cold in the snow. Tin Man had rusted up, so Dorothy oiled him again while he and Merideth were busy trying to wake Kairi. She had been fidgeting and turning in her sleep. She had let out grunts and her face was contorted. Then she screamed very loudly and went silent and limp. Maybe Sora was beyond worried. But just when all hope seemed lost, she stirred.

"An- and I thought you were the lazy bum. . ." she said groggily, trying to sit up. Sora and Merideth helped her and she looked around at the snow with a confused expression. Lion chuckled.

"Unusual weather we're having, ain't it?" he said. The others nodded while Sora helped Kairi to her feet. The snow had ended and they were renewed with vigor. They turned towards Emerald City and continued on their way, down the Yellow Brick Road. The looming mass of Emerald City drew closer and the sparkling grew brighter. Finally! They would meet the Wizard of Oz and find where the Keyhole was. And lucky for them; there were no Heartless here! This had been an easy world, and that was good. They finally found the palace and approached the doors. There was a long rope meant for the bell. Dorothy pulled on it. They heard feet shuffle and something scuffle before a hatch opened above their heads and a balding man pushed his head through, exposing his ridiculous mustache.

"Who rang that bell?" he said in a very annoying and pitched voice. He looked down at the group. He seemed annoyed and red in the face, ready to burst at anyone.

"We did," Dorothy and the others said.

"Can't you read?" he spat at them. They all looked confused and Sora was getting impatient.

"Read what?" he asked the man.

"The notice!" he retorted.

"What notice?" Scarecrow asked. Now the man looked flabbergasted.

"It's on the door! As plain as the nose on my face, see— oh? Oh!" He disappeared and then came back with a sign. He hung it on the door and closed the hatch. It read: Bell out of order. Please Knock.

"You have got to be kidding me," Merideth said in an impatient and annoyed tone. Sora agreed with her, but knocked anyway. The man reappeared.

"Ah, now that's better! Now, state your business!" he said to them. He sounded and looked friendlier, but that voice was still annoying.

"We want to see the wizard," everyone replied. The man doorman looked shocked.

"The wizard? But nobody can see the Great Oz. No one ever has, not even I have seen him!" he told them. Sora's spirits went down, but Dorothy kept going.

"Well, then how do you know there is one?" she asked smartly. Sora looked up at him to see the answer.

"Because he- I- ooh, you're wasting my time!" he shouted at them angrily. Sora pried further.

"The Good Witch of the North sent us, Dorothy even has the Ruby Slippers," Sora said, pointing to them. The man looked down and he smiled in surprise.

"Oh she did! Well why didn't you just say that in the first place? Come! Come on in!" He disappeared from sight, the hatch shut, and the doors opened. Everything inside was an emerald green as well. Residents and noblemen walked here and there, talking and doing whatever. The man led them down many cavernous halls until they came to a door after what seemed like hours.

"Okay," the doorman said, "he's just through this hall. Be respectful and show him loyalty. I hope all goes well." The doorman bowed and left Sora and the group at the door. Sora opened it and they all stepped through into a massive and high-vaulted room. It was dark and fire spewed at the far end, throwing heat and noises of steam toward them. Lion tried to run back, but Scarecrow and Tin Man carried him back. Echoes of a large and powerful voice met them, thundering through the hall.

"Come forth!" it roared.

They stepped into the massive room and Sora thought it reminded him of the room where he sacrificed his heart for Kairi. Steam and fire roared, shadows flickered and the air vibrated with Oz's power. He seemed to be a large face in the air, looking down at them.

"It is I, Oz, the great and powerful!" he shouted at them. Lion was trembling. "Who are you?" he roared at them, fire spurting anew and stimulated. Of all people, Dorothy stepped forward.

"Well, I- I'm Dorothy Gale, the small and weak. If you please, we came to—"

"SILENCE!" he boomed, interrupting her and sending Lion into more shakes, or maybe that was the room reverberating from his voice.

"The great and powerful Oz knows why you are here. Step forward, Tin Man!" he thundered. Even Tin Man was off edge as he scooted closer, his axe trembling in his hand, his knees quaking and buckled.

"You dare to come to me for a heart, you clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk?!" he demanded, insults flying like they were commonly expectorated from that mouth of anger.

"W- why, y- yes. You see, a w- while b- back, we—"

"SILENCE!" he shouted again. Tin Man didn't argue as he retreated to his friends. Oz's eyes fell on Scarecrow next, the next victim of the wizard.

"And you, Scarecrow! You have the effrontery to come and ask me for a brain, you billowing, bumbling, blabbering bale of bovine fodder?!" he boomed. Those insults were starting to become annoying in their chintzy way.

"Yes, Your Honor. I mean Your Majesty. I mean Your Wizardry. I mean—"

"ENOUGH!" The hall shook with his voice, thundering and riveting. "Lion!" he shouted. Lion fainted right where he was. Sora rushed to his side, but heard him being called next.

"And you, Other-Worlders, who are you!?" he demanded. Sora stepped forward along with Kairi and Merideth.

"I am Sora, Keyblade Master. This is Kairi, Keyblade Wielder and Merideth, Mage and Adept Healer. We have come to ask you where the Keyhole is, so we may seal it and protect this world from darkness," Sora explained braver than what he thought he could do.

"I have every intention of granting your wishes!" Oz proclaimed suddenly. Lion recovered from his "faint" and said: "What did he say?" The lot of them looked up to his ethereal face, his voice monstrous.

"Yes, you must prove yourselves worthy to me by completing one simple task," he said.

_It can't be simple. There has to be a catch,_ Sora thought to Roxas.

_Even if there is, it won't be something you can't handle,_ Roxas replied.

"Yes, you are to bring me the broomstick of the Witch of the West!" he commanded them. Yep, a catch. . .

"B-b-b- but if we do that, then we have to _kill_ the Witch," Tin Man said fearfully. Oz only looked down upon them, like ants in his home.

"Bring me her broomstick and I shall grant your requests. Now go," he told them, his face starting to fade as fire and smoke ptyalized.

"But what if she kills us first?" Lion asked dumbly. Sora just shook his head at that question. He wasn't expecting the power of Oz's voice that was to come.

"I said GO!" Sora and the group hastily got up and retreated through the thundering and dark room, Lion at the head and diving through a glass window. They heard a yelp of pain before they followed suit, but more cautiously. They were off to see the Wicked Witch of the West. To go and retrieve her broomstick.

And kill her.

**HoL:TS**

"Of all times, _now_ is when the Heartless show up?" Kairi exclaimed as a group of Heartless encircled the group. Lion had tucked his tail between his legs and curled into the fetal position, crying and muttering something about spooks. Him and Tin Man had been arguing over spooks while Sora led them all through the Haunted Forest. He had to admit, of all places, this seemed most likely for the Heartless to show up. Sora and Kairi had flashed out their Keyblades while Merideth had retrieved her staff. Sora had hoped she was good at offensive magic. He had only heard of her Healing abilities. Roxas and Naminé had appeared as well, Keyblades at the ready. Surrounding them were numerous Heartless, all Shadows and Soldiers. To Sora, these were a breeze; he expected nothing of them.

"Girls, be careful. They are weak, but they are strong in numbers. Do _not_ get caught off-guard," Sora told them. They nodded as Roxas initiated the fight. Dorothy was shielded by Tin Man and Scarecrow behind a tree, a safe distance from the fighting. Lion lay forgotten.

"Fira!" he screamed, blasting a hole through the face of the closest Shadow. That caused them all to react and jump forward, a fray of battle commencing. Within seconds, Naminé had had her arm clawed at by a Shadow, small cuts left there. She weakly and dumbly stabbed through ts head before Roxas rushed to her side to protect her while he waited for Merideth, the better healer. Merideth had just finished casting a small and anemic Blizzard spell, causing small damage to the Soldier it was intended for. She crushed its skull with the blunt end of her staff and ran to Naminé and healed her. Sora let them be and rushed forward towards a group of Soldiers. He deflected their claws with a side jerk of his wrist. They stumbled back and he cleaved two in half at their waists, wisps of smoke trailing in the air, pink crystalline hearts following. He stabbed another through what would have been its ribs and, while his sword was still within it, kicked at the helmeted head of another one, killing it with the forceful trauma. As he danced in a waltz of death and flaying, Kairi was holding her own. Or at least from what he could see.

It what time he could glimpse, he saw that she was okay with the blade. She deflected poorly and blocked clumsily. Her stance was odd, allowing many openings and chances. Her footwork was scared and she took too many unnecessary movements. Her offense was okay, but needed much improvement. She took down multiple Shadows, usually blows to the head. Then two Soldiers converged on her, their yellow eyes darting with their twitching heads. They leaped forward and she raised her Keyblade at them.

"Fire!" she shouted. The spell collided with the helm of the first one and exploded violently, causing enough damage to kill the other, the splintered and erratic metal flying every-which-way. She did the same and took out quite the number of Shadows at once. Sora could see the glee on her face when she used magic, opposed to when she used melee. Sora took a mental note to realize she was probably better at magic than melee; he would have to ask her later. Sora focused his attention on the remaining Heartless and eliminated them. He then turned to a new group before hearing a bloodcurdling scream. His head whipped around to see that behind him a large group of flying monkeys had descended and had started flying away with Dorothy and Toto. Scarecrow lay on the ground, his stuffing thrown about as Tin Man and Lion tried to restore him. The teens killed the remaining Heartless and rushed to Scarecrow.

"What just happened?" Sora asked.

"It was horrible. They tore my leg off and they threw it over there. Then they tore my chest out and threw it over there," Scarecrow cried as the reassembled him. They heard a far off yapping about fifteen minutes later after everyone had finished recuperating.

"What is that?" Lion asked, grabbing his tail. Sora looked off into the distance to see Toto appearing from the undergrowth. He had burs in his fur and it was matted with mud.

"It's Toto!" Sora shouted. The little terrier made its way over to the group, barking at them and swinging its head, beckoning them to follow him. The group readied their stuff and set off to follow Toto.

"We're coming, Dorothy," Sora said to the depressing darkness, the night howling away at them in the twisted forest and rocky outcroppings.

**HoL:TS**

_I'ltorien  
__July 14, 2010_

When we last left off, our "King" had just cast a spell on Cuore, a girl that he had found being assaulted by runaway fellow experiments. Now walking through the crowds of bystanders, who cleared the way for a General in both respect and/or fear, he paid close attention to the vibrations in his cloak, making sure the girl didn't do the wrong move and run away from him. He wouldn't blame her for it, he hadn't been the nicest person to those around her, deserving or not, but if she was found by almost anyone else. . . she'd be dead. Plain and simple.

It didn't take long for him to reach the castle at the center of the town. He looked up at the imposing center of the Empire's power and frowned. Something so beautiful could be so ugly on the inside. . . and he wasn't thinking about the decoration.

Still, what he was worried about now was to avoid bumping Cuore into anything and anyone, while also avoiding any and all conversations. Anyone who could use magic had at least some chance to notice her. Some would even notice her breathing.

He made his way through the entry hall, only returning salutes from some soldiers and making his way through the stairs, through the hallways that lead to the residential area of the castle. He had to get to his room and he had to do it fast. The girl remained silent and obedient much to King's surprise. Maybe she was smarter than he gave her credit for.

He reached the northwestern tower, the one that only housed the higher ups on his own division; his worries diminishing greatly as he climbed the stairway of the familiar spire. A good thing about being the highest rank in the army was that he had a room just to himself and completely out of the way from everything. The perfect place to hide the girl.

Reaching the door to his room, his hand relaxed completely and he took a deep breath as he opened with his key, rotating the handle and pushing the door inwards.

"We're here," he announced, expecting the girl to relax. Quite the opposite.

"Yes. . . we are," a voice echoed behind him. This was impossible as the tower didn't echo. There was just one person that could have such a characteristic and it shook him to the core.

Turning around, he saw his direst expectations turn into reality. On the stairs there was a man. A tall man, taller than him even. He was wearing a heavy suit of ornate armor, as black as the night that covered all of his body, and King truly meant all of it. No one had ever seen his face behind that helmet. The suit was lined in silver, possessed two large, flawless spaulders. The entire armor was flawless, which was even more insane as that man was never seen without it. He wore a matching black cape, a red interior taking it. Behind the darkened visor, King knew his eyes were burrowing into his, and he felt not fear, but uneasiness by being even near this enigmatic battle tank of a man.

"What are you doing here?" King tried to put as much defiance as he could muster in that one phrase but the man seemed to simply not care for it. Instead, he only took a deep breath, taking one more step in the direction of the teen, his presence making Cuore let go of his cape and hide behind his legs, gripping one of them.

"You brought no report," he simply stated.

"It'll be on His Majesty's hand first thing tomorrow at dawn," King replied, staring at the knight for a few moments. He exhaled again and turned his back on him, saying:"Be sure not to leave any straggler out of it."

King automatically reached for his blade, even knowing he couldn't possibly win. Not now. "Oooh, is the drake getting restless in its nest?" he questioned, reaching for his waist and drawing his blade from it. The blade's hilt was pure gold in a cross-like shape, an emerald imbedded near the start of the blade. Said blade was a gleaming white and silver metal and was easily classified as a two-hand, but he wielded it easily in one hand. The Blade of the Moon, Alondite. The two shared tense moments as King slowly started to unsheathe his blade, thinking he had crossed the point of no return. However, the knight suddenly sheathed his own blade, turning back once again.

"Off to tell on your master?" King questioned, still preparing to strike if needed. To have him tell the Emperor was FAR worse than fighting him here. At least he'd die swiftly and Cuore could take the time to run away. He was already screwed if they found her by now; might as well save someone.

"Hardly. I have no orders to do so, nor does the child pose a threat to me. I am no dog that licks his master's feet," the man answered, stopping in his tracks and looking back. "But you should truly reflect on your recent actions. You cannot change the past, you'd do well to remember that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to partake in." With that, he vanished from sight, the clank of his metal boots soon following as he descended from the tower.

"Meeting? I heard of no meeting. . ." King breathed, but then decided to not dwindle on it too much.

He entered his room and closed the door behind him. He quickly headed towards his bed and told the girl to sit on it. Seeing the place she sat at, he used that as reference to find her head.

"Dispel," he muttered, the girl slowly fading back into view. King couldn't help but feel almost intimidated by how cold her look seemed. It wasn't passive aggressiveness, it was just a void of emotions. Still, he left her there to go check on the door for any listeners. When he found none, he came back to see that the girl had not moved an inch. He hadn't even seen her blink also. It was seriously starting to creep him out. "Is something wrong?" he asked rhetorically.

"Illogical," she replied, again, as cold as ice. King just stared at her, as if asking why, and she continued. "It'd be best for you to dispose of me. What benefit does your possession of me incur?" Well, the man was somewhat taken aback at how she spoke more fluently than most people he had encountered in his life, but also hurt.

"Possession? You're not a 'thing', I don't have you," he stated, sitting next to the girl. To tell the truth, he couldn't blame her for it. This way of thinking was only natural if you were born in that facility. "Look, how old are you?" He questioned, the girl simply stating:

"I have seen a day pass 2657 times in the facility. I do not remember all of it however, my early days are a blur. . ." It took a minute till King realized that meant she was at least over seven. So similar.

"Your parents, do you know them?" he asked, to which Cuore shook her head.

"I was stripped of them before I could create memories, so it is possible I may be somewhat older than what I may think," she replied. It was just too similar. "You still have not answered my question. Why is it that you would go out of your way to help me other than take advantage of my abilities?" King sighed and rose from the bed, turning his back on the girl and walking towards the window.

"You know, I once knew someone like you," King confessed, staring at the now setting sun. "Not quite. . . she was more shy while you are more rational, but you were both closed off from the real world by the very same reasons. You can trust me Cuore. I've been through most of what you went through. I don't know my parents, I've been bred to be little more than a tool. We're the same in that way," he told the girl, turning to see a curious glint in her formerly emotionless eyes.

"Illogical. None of that leads to a logical connection to saving me. You are in danger for no logical reason. I still ask why," she told him. Now this worried King more. She was far worse off than anyone in the facility. Had she been deprived from ANY contact with others?

"It's not about logic. It's about what is right to do," King told her again, confusion taking over the girl's face.

"I. . . still do not understand," she replied. Someone answered.

"Someday, you will." That was not King. At all. That was a female. "To tell the truth, I thought this one over here was becoming just like you are, but I guess either you thawed the ice or it was just a cover-up," the blonde woman said from the entrance of the room, strutting with a snarky look as King leaned back on the window so hard he almost fell from it.

Caught in a matter of five minutes. That had to sting.

"S- sis," he stuttered, afraid of what Eighteen would do. She had always been as cold, if not colder than him most of the times. . . and he had to admit, the most likely and better choice would be to put Cuore down. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to even think of harming her.

"Relax, do you think I'd really get rid of the only thing that stopped you from being a zombie?" Eighteen asked, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "Not the best way for you to wake up, but I'll take it." She then moved up to the girl, knelt and started caressing her hairline. "Don't worry, you're safe now." King and Eighteen almost gaped at seeing how the girl's expression seemed to slowly and slightly shift to one of relief.

"I think I should say. . . thank you," she said, the mood in the room lighting up tremendously until. . .

"So, did you clean the mess as I told you to-" King really, _really_ regretted the idea of bringing Cuore to his room right about now. "Oh you have to be friggin' kidding me! Nope! Not being a part of this! I'm out. I'm done. Didn't see anything, know anything. . . not at all!" His Lieutenant then tried to turn back and escape the room he had just walked into, but alas, he found the entrance frozen solid by real ice, not King's crystals. Turning back he saw the blonde's woman's shining, ice-cold eyes. He could only sigh as his head bowed down in defeat, replying to the unsaid threat with: "Alright sis. . . but I'll have you know, I suck at babysitting."

**HoL:TS**

_Oz  
__July 25, 2010_

"Wow, now those guys were weak," Sora said, adjusting the uniform he was now wearing. A group had tried to jump him and the group. After traversing the rocky and deadly pass to get to where they were now, they took a few minutes to sigh in relief. They had protected themselves and knocked the monkey-things unconscious, stealing their uniforms and wearing them. It was the best idea that they could currently come up with to gain access to the Witch's castle. It was dark, brooding, and monstrous, reaching over the shadowed valley before like a storm cloud. Turrets fingered into the pitch-black sky, prying for the unseen mass above the opaque clouds. Thunder crashed and lightning flared, illuminating dense and dead trees, their branches like arms, grabbing for the innocent. Sora shuddered.

"Yes, they may have been weak, but she isn't. She may have powerful magical abilities and she may even be able to summon more powerful Heartless this time," Merideth reminded him. He nodded his head as they watched the monkeys march below, chanting their song.

"We can worry about that when the time comes," Kairi said in a hushed voice, crouching behind the rock with the others. "We just need to worry about getting into that horrible place first." Sora agreed with her as they watched the marching.

"Well, shouldn't we just fall in behind them? They don't seem too smart," Tin man said, adjusting his fur hat with much irritation.

"We can try, that's for sure. Come on guys!" Sora told them, climbing over the rock and descending the hill. Loose gravel shifted under his feet and he was falling quickly. He nearly tumbled as the ground leveled out. He wasted no time jumping in line with the monkeys, following their stature, posture and chant. The rest followed him as well. Soon, and sure enough, they were being led right into the castle, the drawbridge retreating behind them and the gates locking. Right before he and his group turned a sharp corner, they pulled out of the formation and hid for a few moments in a darkened corner. This gave Sora the time to look at the inside of the castle.

Much to his expectation, it was dark and gloomy. It had a Gothic era feel to it, like a story right out of the mind of Edgar Allen Poe, whom of which they had to read at school. Torches cast oily light and dancing shadows on the slimy and stone walls, barely giving any warmth to the halls and rooms. Ratty and musty carpets lay on the floors and similar curtains hung in front of mullioned windows, glass opaque like the clouds high above. They waited for the chanting to drift and dwindle into nothing before going. They found Toto ahead of them, scratching a door furiously.

"That must be where Dorothy is," Scarecrow said.

"Well, let us make sure first," Tin Man answered. He ran to the door and yelled through it.

"Dorothy, are you in there?!" Tin Man shouted. They heard sobbing through the door. Then it stopped.

"It's us," Lion said.

"Yes! It's me! She locked me in! Do hurry!" Dorothy shouted through a choked voice. "The hourglass is almost empty!"

"Stand back," Tin Man shouted, readying his axe.

"No need," Sora said, unlocking the door with his Keyblade. The others marveled at it before rushing into the room to help Dorothy. He and the others removed their uniforms once they made sure Dorothy was okay. Toto rushed to her owner and yapped happily.

"Oh Toto, I missed you. I knew you all would come and help me," Dorothy said with tears of mirth in her eyes, eyes that were darting to each of them in turn.

"Come on, let's hurry out of here!" Scarecrow said. The others agreed. They went down to the door and started banging on it, but to no avail. Then that icy voice shot through the room.

"Leaving so soon, eh?" The Witch spat at them. They turned around and looked up at the second floor landing she stood upon. In her hand was the broomstick and the other an old hourglass. On either side of her were many monkey guards.

"I wouldn't hear of it! My party's just beginning!" she cackled. More guards rushed in from the side doors and surrounded Sora and the group. His Oblivion flashed to his hands.

"Here we go boys!" Tin Man shouted, his axe striking the rope holding the candelabra up in the air. It crashed down into the monkeys. Sora took the opportunity to take his friends through one of the doors. He heard the Witch scream in a tirade.

"No! Stay here you fools! We shall send the Heartless after them. Heartless! Come forth! Kill them and bring me those ruby slippers!" she screeched. As they ran, Sora looked back over his shoulders. He could see Neoshadows and Soldiers hot on their tail. They came to a large room and were blocked by more Heartless. The Heartless were about to attack when they suddenly stopped, silenced by the Witch's scream.

"No! I have a better idea!" she said cruelly as she made her way to the group. "I'll kill you myself," she told them. She looked up and lifted her broomstick, catching it on fire from a hanging torch.

"How about it Scarecrow, wanna play with fire!?" she cackled, catching his arm on fire. Dorothy screamed in shock, grabbed a nearby bucket of mop water, and threw it on him to put him out. In the process she splashed the Witch.

"AH!" she screeched. Her skin was smoking and her face was bubbling, as if she were melting. Sora never knew how right he would be in that thought.

"Ohhh you cursed brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! Melting! Oh what a world, what a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!? Ohhh! Look out! Look out! I'm going. Ohhhh! Ohhhhhh" She was slowly dissipating and shrinking, melting into the cold stone floor that she had called her own for so long. Her wails riveted the hall, echoing into the dark unknown. The Wicked Witch of the West was finally dead. The apparent monkey leader examined the smoldering remains of the Witch, no longer afraid as the Heartless had vanished due to the disappearance of their leader.

"She- she's dead. You. . . you've killed her," he said, looking up at Dorothy. She looked frightened at his words and stare.

"I- I didn't mean to kill her! Honestly, I didn't! It's. . . it's just that he was on fire," she stammered, indicating the now wet Scarecrow. Sora had his Keyblade readied at the General. There was a tense silent, and then, all at once, the monkeys knelt before the group.

"Hail to Dorothy! The Wicked Witch is dead!" the leader announced with authority. He beat his fist into his chest. The others followed suit in a rousing chorus.

"Hail! Hail to Dorothy, the Wicked Witch is dead!" they all shouted happily. Sora dismissed his Keyblade confusedly.

"You mean you're all happy about it?" Dorothy asked timidly. The leader rose and nodded.

"Yes, very happy. She won't be able to beat us with that broom anymore," he replied.

"Oh, the broom, Dorothy!" Sora reminded her with enthusiasm.

"Yes, the broom!" she agreed hastily, her head aflutter. "May we have it?" she asked the leader.

"Please! And take it with you!" he replied happily, handing her the stick while bowing.

"Great, now we can go back to see the Wizard and tell him the Wicked Witch is dead!" Kairi exclaimed giddily.

"Hail! At last the Wicked Witch of the West is dead!" The monkeys exclaimed. "We will escort you out of this dreadful realm," the leader said as the monkeys began to sing and lead the heroes out, broomstick in hand and wishes at heart.

**HoL:TS**

_The World That Never Was  
J__uly 25, 2010_

"We have completed the task at the Coliseum," Sephiroth told Maleficent. She sat in her throne, feeling anxious and aggravated. That bumbling Witch had failed her. She hadn't expected much out of her anyway. It would take more to hinder that Keyblade fool.

"Very good, Sephiroth," she praised. He at least finished tasks to an appreciable level.

"And what about us?" Kefka cackled, indicating himself and his brother. She just smirked at them.

"You two did well as well. Thank you for keeping Kefka in check," she said to his brother.

"You're welcome, my queen," he replied smoothly. She smiled.

"And Sephiroth, please report to the laboratory. Our head scientist requested your assistance in an experiment in researching the new breeds of common Heartless he is creating. They will be much more difficult than any other Heartless Sora has ever encountered. He will fear these. Tell him that I plan to unleash the finished prototype on Sora and his friends at the next world they go to. That should deal quite the blow," she explained to Sephiroth. He bowed his head and took leave.

"As for you two, go get some rest and wait for further orders," she said. And without another word, they left. _How odd?_

_Ah, this new prototype will surely put Sora's skills to the test. But then again, it is only the prototype of a massive Heartless. The smaller, more common breeds will just be irritable. But this one? No. . . this one will cause him much trouble._

She cackled, her gluttonous eyes coveting the heart-shaped moon high above her.

**HoL:TS**

_Oz  
__July 26, 2010_

"Can I believe my own eyes? Why have you come back?" The voice of Oz boomed in the cavernous room. He looked rather irritated as always.

"Please, sir. We have done as you asked. We have gotten the broomstick from the Wicked Witch of the West! We melted her," she explained to Oz. His face then took one of genuine shock.

"Oh! You liquidated her, eh?" he asked, slightly amused. "How resourceful."

"Yes sir, but we would like you to keep your promise to us, if you please, sir," Dorothy asked meekly.

"Not so fast!" he boomed, his face taking on the irritated and angry look again. "Not so fast! I'll have to give the matter some thought. Come back tomorrow!" he commanded.

"Tomorrow? Oh, but I want to go home now!" Dorothy complained, stomping her heeled foot.

"You've had plenty of time already," Tin Man shouted to the projected face.

"Yeah! And we need to find the Keyhole to protect this world!" Sora shouted at him, feeling more confident than he should.

"Do not arouse the wrath of the great and powerful Oz! I said come back tomorrow!" he declared, shaking the room with his anger.

"If you were really great and powerful, you'd keep your promises!" Sora shouted back at him.

"Do not presume to criticize me!" he shouted. Then he went off in a tangent of yelling and chastising them, but Sora's attention was caught by Toto. He had approached a curtain off to the side of the room and was pulling it back, revealing a portly and balding man shouting into a microphone and activating a control panel, no doubt to work the projection apparatus. Sora nudged Dorothy and pointed over. They all gasped when they saw him.

"Oh- oh. . ." the man stuttered, then Oz's voice changed.

"The great and powerful Oz has spoken. Do not mind the man behind the curtain. Leave, now!" he commanded, but the group forgot the giant face and approached the man.

"Who are you?" Dorothy asked him. He was sweating and looked flabbergasted.

"Well, I- I'm the great and powerful. . . wizard of Oz," he replied meekly.

_What!?_

_What? It wasn't obvious to you? Pathetic,_ Roxas said in his head, laughing.

"Are you really?" Sora asked, stunned.

"Why, yes, I am," he replied.

"I don't believe you! You're a bad man," Dorothy exclaimed.

"No. I'm a very good man. I'm just a bad wizard," he admitted.

"But what about the things you promised us?" Scarecrow asked.

"Like what, your brain? Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the earth or slinks through the slimy seas has a brain! From the rock-bound coast of Maine to the Sun oh. . . oh, no. Ah, here we go," he said, reaching through a bag. "Well, be that as it may. Back where I come from we have universities, seats of great learning where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. . . But! They have one thing you haven't got! A diploma!" he declared.

"Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitatus Committeeatum e plurbis unum, I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of Th.D." he told Scarecrow, handing him a diploma.

"Th.D.?" Scarecrow asked uncertainly.

"Yes, a doctorate in Thinkology!" Oz told him. Scarecrow's face immediately changed and he put his fingers to his temple.

"The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side. Oh joy, rapture! I've got a brain!" Sora wondered in awe as Scarecrow just recited Pythagorean's Theorem.

"You've got to be kidding me," Merideth said in an undertone. Sora glanced at her and chuckled.

Oz directed his attention to Lion.

"As for you, my fine friend, you're a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate delusion that simply because you run away from danger, you have no courage. You're confusing courage with wisdom. Back where I come from, we have men who are called heroes. Once a year, they take their fortitude out of mothballs and parade it down the main street of the city. And they have no more courage than you have. But! They have one thing that you haven't got! A medal!" Oz explained to him, reaching into the same bag for something, undoubtedly a medal.

"Therefore, for meritorious conduct, extraordinary valor, conspicuous bravery against wicked witches, I award you the Triple Cross," he said, pinning a medal to Lion. Sora wondered how it didn't hurt Lion.

"You are now a member of the Legion of Courage!" he exclaimed. If Lion could blush, he would have.

"Aw shucks, folks, I'm speechless," he purred. He then turned to Tin Man.

"As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart! You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable. I could have been a world figure, a power among men, a - a successful wizard, had I not been obstructed by a heart," he explained to Tin Man. Tin Man frowned.

"Yes, but I still want one," he replied sadly.

"Yes, and back where I come from there are men who do nothing all day but good deeds. They are called phil. . . er—er. . . phil— er, yes. . .good-deed-doers. And their hearts are no bigger than yours. But! They have one thing you haven't got! A testimonial!" he said happily. Sora thought that Merideth was going to die from disbelief in the way this was going and Sora was about to bust out laughing at how ridiculous it all was.

"Therefore, in consideration of your kindness, I take pleasure at this time in presenting you with a small token of our esteem and affection. And remember, my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others," he said, handing him a ticking, heart-clock from the bag.

"Listen! It ticks!" Tin Man said happily.

"And as for you three, the Keyhole is behind the throne up there!" he said, and with a snap of his fingers, it appeared. Sora took no wasted time and sealed it with a flash of his Keyblade. An audible click was heard and then nothing else.

"Okay guys, we have to go, I'm afraid," Sora told them. "I'm sure Mr. Oz here will help you get home, Dorothy, but we have other worlds to save."

"Oh, okay. It was marvelous meeting you all!" Dorothy said. After a round of goodbyes, Sora took out the teleporter device that would take them back to the ship. He pressed it and he, Kairi, and Merideth disappeared in a flash.

Once in the ship, Sora sat in the pilot's seat and took them out of Oz and set the auto-pilot for the nearest unknown world while the three of them ate food, took relieving showers, and slept in peaceful bliss.

**HoL:TS**

_In Orbit of Mysterious World  
__July 29, 2010_

"We're gonna beam down this time," Sora said, pocketing the teleporter device. "Follow me to the warp room," he said. Sora, Kairi and Merideth walked through the halls of the ship, moving to the room. They each walked into a cylindrical tube and it sealed behind them. Sora was watching the red light in the room. When it went green, he pressed the button in his central tube. In a circle and blast of white light, they were teleported to the below world.

They appeared next to each other like they were in the warp room. Sora looked around at the room they were in, realizing that they were either very small, or it was very big. Then he looked at himself, Kairi and Merideth. They were also shocked at their appearance. It was Merideth that asked the question on all their minds.

"Why are we toys!?"

* * *

TUH: I wish I'ltorien was larger.

TN: Well, it was fitting for now.  
TN: Are your ready for two chapters by yourself?

TUH: My readers are going to kill me.

TN: You can always just ask me for help.  
TN: I'm just excited about the third world they go to.

TUH: I'm excited for I'ltorien.

TN: I bet you are.  
TN: Well, that's it for now, and we promise we won't make you wait so long for a chapter again.

TUH: Goodbye all!

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	7. To Infinity and Beyond

TN: Sorry about the time again. Had some medical issues I don't wanna talk about right now.

TUH: *silence*

* * *

TN: So, I like Toy Story over Oz.

TUH: Everyone likes Toy Story over Oz.

TN: So, anyone excited for Riku at chapter nine?

TUH: *silence*

TN: Well, we don't have much to say other than to enjoy and review!

DISCLAIMER: We don't own anything you see but the plot, OCs, and I'ltorien.

* * *

**Chapter VII**

**To Infinity and Beyond**

_ToyWorld  
__July 29, 2010_

"Why are we toys!?" Merideth exclaimed, looking at her plastic body, shining in the light. Kairi and Sora were also plastic. Though they were plastic, he noticed that they were still malleable and moveable. Sora gave a experimental stretch, adjusting to his new body type. He had went through odd transformations before, like in the Pride Lands and in Atlantica, bu this was just weird. His body still moved like normal and he still had nerve endings, or else he would be able to feel the draft blowing on him. That was when he noticed that he was on a twin bed, and that meant he was in a bedroom of some sorts.

It looked like something right out of a western world. All around the room were posters, drawings, décor, and more of western themes and cowboys. One in particular as it looked like: Sheriff Woody. He was plastic, so it looked like a child's toy of sorts. He wore a bright and happy smile with his hat and attire. A pistol was at his side and he had bit topped boots, ready to take on the world. Sora was gazing in silent wonder when he was tackled to ground, um, the mattress. He felt a heavy body on him and voice yell from another person by his side.

"Who are you, soldier?!" Sora glanced up and saw a plastic army man looking back at him. Before Sora could respond, another voice, one with a western drawl to it, resonated.

"Let them up, Sarge!" He was apparently talking to the Sergeant army man. The weight shifted of Sora. He sighed in relief as heard the same from Kairi and Merideth. He also heard Roxas and Naminé, assuming they had materialized for the world. Sora shook his chocolate spikes before looking around himself. He gasped as he was staring at numerous toys, all gathered in a circle around him and his friends. He saw a child's piggy bank, a interchangeable potato, a tyrannosaurus rex, a slinky dog, and many, many more. Approaching him was the one he thought to be Sheriff Woody. He approached Sora cautiously.

"Hello, I'm Sheriff Woody," the doll named Woody said, slowly pacing forward. Sora's friends had gathered to him.

"Hi, I'm Sora, nice to meet you," Sora replied calmly, looking right into Woody's eyes. Woody's eyebrows arched.

"Where are you from? You're not one of Andy's toys," he stated. While that was true, Sora couldn't break the world order to tell him.

_He seems to be the leader. I think you can tell him and trust that he assures the others,_ Roxas suggested.

_Yeah, that seems to be about the only way to go with this._

"Can I talk to you, alone?" Sora asked. Woody eyed him suspiciously before nodding and motioning for them to walk to the headboard of the bed. They heard a tense silent from behind them. Sora glanced over his shoulder to see the toys' eyes drilling into Woody, waiting for an resolution. Woody ran his hand down his face, furrowed his eyebrows and pinched the bridge of his nose before facing and looking down at Sora. He was much taller than Sora.

"Okay, on other days, I wouldn't be as paranoid of your all's appearance, but what are you doing here, why and how?" Woody asked him in a calm, but stressed voice. Sora took notice that this man had some experience with dealing with problems, otherwise he wouldn't be so calm.

"I can trust you not to tell anyone, I mean _anyone_ else?" Sora asked gravely, yet stoutly. Woody eyed him a bit more suspiciously.

"Well partner, that depends," he answered smartly.

"Well, here it goes," Sora breathed. After about ten to fifteen minutes of rigorous talking and interrogation from Woody, Sora finally explained everything to him that would gain his trust. He even had to show Woody his Oblivion, which scared him and earned a loud and collective gasp from the other toys, fear imminent. Sora stood silently, letting Woody reel it all over in his already stressed mind. Finally, he looked back to Sora.

"Okay, you all can stay here and find this 'keyhole' if that's what you want. You have to promise me that you abide by our rules of this house and this 'world' as you call it. To even imagine that. . ." he trailed off in his own thoughts on that last part.

"So we have to let humans see us as toys? Not animate?" Sora asked. Woody nodded to him and led him back over to the toys and his friends. He stopped Sora halfway over and dropped his voice.

"If these Heartless things show up, it's up to y'all to take care of them, ya hear?" he said in that drawl. Sora nodded. Woody smiled and walked back to the group.

"Okay! Meeting in five down in the normal spot. Hop to!" he ordered with a clap of his hands. He walked past Sora and that's when Sora noticed it, a drawstring. The child in Sora couldn't resist.

"Hey, what the—?" Woody exclaimed before a mechanical voice, identical to his own emanated from an unseen speaker.

_"There's a snake in my boot!"_

Sora doubled over in laughter, falling onto the soft mattress.

"SORA!" Kairi screamed at him, marching to him. She stopped, muttered an embarrassed apology to Woody, and then continued to Sora. She kicked him in his side. He grunted but continued to laugh as he slowly got up.

"What's the matter with you?! You just don't go and do something like that to a total stranger that just accepted us!" she berated him. He cringed a bit in her anger.

"Sorry, Kai, I couldn't resist," he said, and then added this little pout to his lips. It worked all the time with her, knowing she couldn't stay mad at him like that. She faltered and then smiled a bit. He smiled in triumph.

"Just don't do it again, okay?" she said as they climbed down off the mattress like the other toys.

"Cross my heart," he replied as all five of them gathered with the other toys, which were still wary of them, but not as much. He explained to them Woody's rules about being toys as they walked there. Woody had stepped up to an elevated pedestal and was looking at everyone gathered. He motion for Sora and his friends to come forward onto the book they were using as a platform.

"Okay everyone this—" he stopped. "Mike! Mike, where are you!?" he shouted. Sora watched as a toy Microphone set waddled its way over to the platform. A Rocky Gibraltar wrestler toy lifted him up onto the book, Roxas helping in the process, his Two Become One at his side. Woody reached and took the mic, which gave off a horrible and ringing feedback. He motioned Mike to backup some to get rid of the effect.

"Okay, now that's better. Anyway, hello everybody! Big day today, ain't it?" Woody said nervously. Sora noticed that the t-rex was shaking and then it suddenly burst out.

"Are they replacing us, Woody!?" he shouted, indicating Sora and his friends. Replacing?

"No, just calm down Rex," Woody placated. Rex, as his name was, tried to cover his eyes with his arms, but they were far to short. His shaking did not alleviate.

"No, these nice people here aren't replacing us, nor are they even Andy's toys!" he exclaimed. This shocked everyone in his crowd, they listened intently.

"Okay, guys, let me introduce you all to them," Woody said, walking towards the teens. "This is Sora, Kairi, Merideth, Nami— oh yeah, Naminé, and Roxas," he said respectively indicating each as said.

"They are here to look for something bad in Andy's house that could hurt it. They are being followed by something called Heartless, but we do not need to fear, for they will protect us with those weapons that you saw before. They are friends and I expect _all_ of you to be friendly and let them feel welcome while they are here," he explained articulately. They all gave Sora and the teens friendly eyes, ones that weren't forced. They obviously respected this Sheriff and what he had to say.

"Now for the big news!" he exclaimed into the mic, his voice amplifying out of Mike. All the toys went back into nervousness.

"Okay, let's get on with the staff meeting today, shall we?" Woody said in a hesitant voice. It seemed faltering, but able and sound deep within.

"But first! Has everyone picked a moving buddy?" he asked them. All the toys moaned.

"A moving buddy, seriously?" the piggy bank asked.

"Yes, Hamm, seriously" Woody responded. Hamm just snorted which sounded more like a disgruntled oink and plopped down on his belly, the change inside of him jingling.

"Do we have to hold hands?" the interchangeable potato asked, waving one of his arms out of its sockets. The other toys laughed at that, including Sora.

"Oh haha, Mr. Potato Head. You all think it's a big joke, but it's not! I don't want any toys getting left behind, so if you don't have a moving buddy, get one!" he ordered, before chcking his notepad for the next issue.

"Okay, Tuesday night's Corrosion Awareness meeting went very well, so let's thank Mr. Spell for that!" he said. Mr. Spell spelled out the words: "You're welcome." He checked his notepad again.

"Oh yes, and one more minor note," he then dropped his voice to a whisper, "Andy's birthday party has been moved to today. Next we have—" The toys all broke into hysterics and mass panic at the mention of their Andy's birthday.

"What?! What do you mean his party's today? It ain't until next week. Has Mom lost her marbles?" Hamm asked, while Rex was crying.

"Hey, hey guys. I'm not worried and neither should all of you!" Woody told them.

"Yeah, easy for him to say. Woody's been Andy's favorite ever since kindergarten!" Mr. Potato Head exclaimed.

"Oh come on now," The slinky dog said, "Woody's never turned us wrong before." Mr. Potato Head took his mouth off and mimed it kissing his own butt. Sora chuckled at that. Sora looked over to Kairi and dropped his voice while Woody talked to the toys.

"I like these guys, they're funny," he told her. She smiled at him.

"Yeah, they are, just don't go messing with their mechanics," she replied with a giggle. He stuck his tongue out at here and returned his focus to the toys.

"Hey guys, remember, it's not how much we're played with," Woody said, jumping down from the platform, "it's about us being here for Andy whenever he needs us, right? Isn't that what we're made for?" Sora took that question to heart, even though he wasn't one of Andy's toys. Then Hamm burst out from the window.

"Um, pardon me, I hate to break up the staff meeting, but. . . THEY'RE HERE! Guests at three o'clock!" he shouted. Everyone panicked again and stampeded over Woody, heading for the window. Sora and his friends jumped down. Sora helped him to his feet as Woody muttered: "Meeting adjourned" in a shaky voice. They made their way to the window where the toys were speaking hurriedly.

"Would ya look at all them presents?" Hamm said as the kids walked into the house. "Yes sir, we're next garage sale's fodder for sure."

"Are there any dinosaur shaped ones?" Rex said, shaking and on the verge of crying.

"Of for cryin' out loud, they're all in boxes, Rex," Mr. Potato Head exclaimed.  
"They're getting bigger!" A doll of Bo Peep exclaimed in an alluring voice that Sora was not expecting from her. Woody seemed to eye her.

"We're doomed!" Rex shouted as they saw a massive present. The other toys screamed and it seems Woody was at his breaking point.

"Alright, ALRIGHT!" he shouted, silencing them at once. They looked at him nervously yet hopefully.

"If I send out the troops will you all just calm down?" he pleaded.

"Yes, we promise!" Rex said.

"Sheesh, just save your batteries," Woody said as he hopped down and went over to a bucket. The bucket said ARMY MEN in all caps on the side.

"Sergeant!" Woody said. The same army man Sora had seen earlier popped out of the bucket.

"Set up a recon downstairs. Code Red. You know what to do," Woody ordered.

"Yes sir!" The army man saluted and then began filing his soldiers up. The soldiers busted out and gathered equipment, which was string and a walkie-talkie. They filed out of Andy's room and into the upstairs hallway.

"Now we just wait," Woody said as he drug the matching talkie to the staff meeting platform. He turned it on and waited with the rest of the toys. That's when the Heartless appeared.

"Heartless!" Roxas shouted. Sora's Keyblade flashed to his hand as well as the others. All the toys cowered behind them. An RC car zoomed from the Heartless, around the bend of the bed which was hiding them from view.

"Come on guys," Sora said, but was stopped with a hand on his shoulder. Kairi had held him back while the other three had ran ahead.

"What is it, Kai?" he asked hurriedly, wanting to get to the fight.

"Let us handle this world, okay, Sora?" she asked seriously, no trace of anything in her voice.

"Wait, why?" he asked, a tad hurt.

"Well, in Oz, you barely let us do anything. How are we going to grow otherwise? The others and I talked about this already and we want you to lay back and relax. Let us find the Keyhole here and take care of the Heartless, okay?" Sora looked down into her violet eyes, cropped by that beautiful red hair and couldn't help it.

"Yeah, sure, just be careful, okay?" he said with a sigh, dismissing his Keyblade. He didn't want to do this, but she made a valid point. He had noticed that they needed to advance in combat, even Roxas. How else could they?

"Thank you, Sora." And with that she ran off to help the others. He sighed again before sitting with Woody. He heard the clash of battle and it sounded as if it were going well. The end of the fight was signaled as the teens walked around the corner, looking tired, but accomplished.

"How was it?" Sora asked Kairi and the others.

"It went well. Naminé got a cut on her arm, but Merideth healed it right up. She needs a lot of work, but we all do, except for you, Sora," Kairi said as they sat around the talkie, waiting for Sarge. Then, static emerged on the talkie and Sarge's voice cut in.

"Come in Mother Bird, this is Alpha Bravo. Come in Mother Bird!"

"Alright this is it," Wood said to the toys, quieting them down some.

"Okay, Andy's opening the first present. . . and it's a. . ." he paused as Andy was unwrapping it.

"Mrs. Potato Head. Mrs. Potato Head," Mr. Potato Head chanted. He looked at those eying him oddly.

"What, I can dream, can't I?" he answered.

"It's a lunchbox!" Sarge said into the talkie. The toys cheered in joy at there not being another toy. They all went quiet again to let Sarge continue. And so it continued, and there were no more toys revealed. There had been bedsheets and a board game of Battleship.

"See now? No one had worry. The troops did their job and there aren't any toys replacing us," Woody assured, easing the group. Just as they were about to set up and return to their normal lives, the static crackled and Sarge's voice came over the talkie, and he sounded frantic. Sora had just been relieved for the toys, even though he had nothing to do with them. He listened earnestly.

"Mom has just brought a secret present out of the closet! I repeat, there is a secret present!" Al the toys went into a panic, and Sora felt himself hoping it wasn't a toy. He didn't understand why, but he always felt like he needed to be with the friends he made on other worlds and support them.

"I- I can't see what- what it is!?" Sarge exclaimed. The anticipation was causing a visible tension in the air.

"Oh my lord! It's a—" The transmission cut off.

"It's a WHAT!?" Rex shouted, shaking the platform. The talkie fell over and onto the hard wood floor, causing the batteries to spill out. Hamm tried putting them back in, but his hooves wouldn't let him and when Mr. Potato Head tried, he got the positives and negatives backwards. Woody finally had to jump in and do it himself. The talkie broke back in with Sarge screaming.

"RED ALERT! RED ALERT! ANDY IS COMING UPSTAIRS!" The toys panicked and ran around the room. They all went to preordained spots and the room and pretended to be inanimate. Sora took his friends under Andy's bed and did the same. They watched as many kids burst into the room, obviously marveling in what new and surprise thing Andy had gotten. There was a plop behind them and they saw Andy crawl towards them, his hat askew. Andy's mother yelled up at them that it was time for games and they left the room. The toys gave it a minute before heading towards Andy's bed.

"I wonder what it is?" Sora said in excitement. They emerged and climbed the blankets.

Buzz Lightyear.

There in the middle of the bed was a space age action figure. He stood nobly on the bed. He came to life and began looking around the room, not noticing Woody, Sora, and his friends. Sora liked the looks of him, but he was afraid that he might replace one of the other toys.

"Buzz Lightyear to Star Command. Buzz to Star Command," he muttered into his toy communicator. Of course, there was no reply. He then was startled at the sight of his packaging.

"Ah! My starship!" he exclaimed, running to it. Sora laughed on the inside. Did this toy really think he was a Space Ranger, as his box indicated?

"Urgh! This will take weeks to repair!" He started talking to Star Command again.

"Um, hello?" Woody said, taking a cautious step forward.

"AH!" Buzz screamed, flipping backward and ending in a fighting stance, aiming a toy laser at Woody. He also tried aiming at Sora and his friends in turn.

"Oh, hey, did we frighten you? Well, sorry, we didn't mean to. I'm Woody, howdy!" Woody said, walking towards the apprehensive Spaceman toy.

"And I'm Sora. This is Kairi, Merideth, Roxas, and Naminé," Sora said. He walked forward confidently with Woody.

"Ah! Local law enforcement!" Buzz said happily, walking towards the group. He then went on to explain all his dealings with Star Command, his mission, his current "predicament" here in Andy's room. Suddenly, he aimed his laser beyond the group.

"Halt! Who goes there?" Buzz demanded. It was the other toys peeking up over the bed.

"Calm down there Buzz. These are friends," Woody exclaimed. Sora walked over and helped some of them up onto the bed.

"Why thank you, you strong and handsome man," Bo Peep said in a quiet voice. Sora blushed violently before walking over to Roxas and the others.

"It's a good thing Kairi didn't hear that," Roxas said.

"What are you—?" Sora was cut off by Buzz.

"I am Buzz Lightyear, I come in peace!" he said to them all.

"Okay, thank you all for giving Andy's toy a big welcome!" Woody said.

"Toy?" Buzz queried. He still didn't believe he was a toy.

"T-O-Y, toy. Got it?" Woody said impatiently.

"I think the word you're looking for is Space Ranger," Buzz said, slightly annoyed.

"You're not a space ranger. You don't fight evil or. . . or fly!" Woody exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Buzz snapped. He pressed a button on his suit and wings popped out of the back of it. All of the toys let out sighs of awe. Sora even felt impressed by this toy in denial. He watched wit hungry eyes, waiting for what would be next.

"What!? These are _plastic_! He can't fly!" Woody said, near frantically.

"I can fly!" Buzz argued. They argued back and forth and Sora didn't know which one to believe. He was just about to break them up when Buzz stopped Woody himself.

"I CAN and I'll prove it to you all!" he declared. Everyone went silent, including Woody. "Even with my eyes closed. Stand back everyone."

He went to the end of the bed and everyone, including Sora and his friends, made their way to the side to watch. He climbed on the bedpost and looked down. He closed his eyes.

"To infinity and beyond!" he shouted, plunging forward toward the floor. He bounced off a ball, rolled on a car in a loop, and he was off! He flew around the room majestically, yet powerfully. He did quite the show with flips, power, and speed. He zipped around the room and finally landed with a flip onto Andy's bed. All the toys cheered and surrounded him. Sora was smiling and laughing. He looked over at his friends. They were smiling, too.

"Well, I guess we should start looking for that Keyhole, then," Kairi stated.

"Yep. How long do you think it'll take to find?" Roxas asked, putting an arm around Naminé's slim waist. She giggled and put an arm around his broad shoulders.

"Not too long, right Sora?" Merideth asked.

"Well, in a world like this, it shouldn't take more than three hours. Five hours at the most," he answered, being serious for once. There was a world he wanted to revisit after here, and he was eager to go there. The quicker they found the Keyhole, the better.

"But remember, Sora. Leave this to us. If you see Heartless, just yell for us. We need this world to train," Naminé reminded him. He sighed and nodded his head. Then he was just going to play with the toys for a while.

"Okay then. See you guys in a few hours!"

**HoL:TS**

_I'ltorien  
__July 17, 2010_

One cracked her neck as she rose from her bed on the sleeping quarters she had been assigned too. She did not like the fact that in her four bed room she was the one and only living there, but she had gotten through it… or had she?

_They really don't trust you, now do they, Sunshine?_ Again with that voice.

_ I know what you did yesterday. . ._ One whispered back in her mind, feeling happiness exude from the being.

_Thank me later, _her inner voice replied with a condescending tone.

_ You almost got them to reject us! They saved us!_ One protested against it, her comments finally getting a negative reaction from the being.

_For what?! From what I saw there, they were going to treat us as an "it" again. And as much as I like the fact that I exist due to what they did to you, I'd rather not have us spend the rest of our days as lab rats as we did until now!_One took a mental step backwards at this. She was right. That one blonde man had talked to her as if she was an object, and that was what made her snap, nothing else. _You see now? I'm just the part of your emotions and thoughts you repress. You can't blame ME!_

_ You are no such thing!_ One denied, getting no answer, as they had fought over this for hundreds if not thousands of times in the past years already.

_So, you gonna make us take the bait?_ One wondered briefly what was the "bait" referring too. A sigh of frustration later, her other side added: _You do realize they are probably just slobbering over the idea of "number one" fighting for them, don't you?_ One admitted, she had her suspicions about how quickly they suggested her entry, but she saw it in a different light every time that she remembered the people she had met the day before.

_ Maybe some of the higher ups are. . . but I can't see the others doing so. They were so nice to me; even some of the higher ups were. Elincia had no reason to, but she almost opposed my naming due to thinking it demeaning. And the commander was also understanding and kind._ Clinching her hand to her chest, she tried to supplant the bad memories of the day before with the bountiful good ones. One could consider this burying her head in the sand, as her other side very visibly accused.

_You aren't seriously going to disregard all evidence on those claims? Who says they weren't faking it?!_ Now this simply hit the wrong chord. A very, very sensible wrong chord.

_ They wouldn't! _One exclaimed, conviction staining this comeback. _I won't let you stand there and criticize the only people that were nice to me in the last two years! And no, YOU don't count! I know why you're clawing at any chance to destroy my confidence in them. It's because you are afraid you'll just vanish when my mind doesn't need you anymore, isn't it?!_ she exclaimed, pushing back the resounding noise with sheer force of will. The thing just cringed and spat back one last set of thoughts before vanishing deep into her subconscious:

_ Fine. Trust them. I'll clean up when they try to use us like dolls again. I already know how easy it is to simply swipe away control as it is._

One was left to think in the darkness, pondering if her other side had really just threatened her. Sure, they never truly got along, but they had accepted they were still two halves of a whole. One wouldn't harm the other intentionally, but apparently it wasn't so on the flip side. Her thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on the door.

"May I?" the voice she quickly recognized to be Elincia's questioned. One gasped but told her she could, the girl walking into the small room with a tray of seemingly still hot food. She greeted One with a curt and warm smile as she laid down the tray on a nearby table, pulling it to the bed where One sat, sitting on the other side.

"You overslept so I had the cooks make a special portion of lunch just for you. It's not much, just some meat, rice, bread and water, but we rarely get the funds for more. . . or the sellers for it," she said, pointing at the filled-to-the-brim tray with said condiments, all of them prepared with far more care than most of the soldiers ever had, One had no doubt. Was she trying to doll her up? No. She wasn't. One knew what a fake smile was. Most of what she had ever seen were those. And that one wasn't it. That was a rare, at least for her, true and honest smile.

"Oh, I know how much you ate last night. Your appetite was quite something. You even impressed Ike, who actually eats more than our horses. As in, plural." One squirmed in embarrassment as Elincia giggled some more. Still, she ended up taking up the old fork and started to eat.

As she did, she noticed Elincia was just staring at her, almost. . . in a motherly fashion. One knew for a fact she could not be that much older than her, but she also knew she, herself, was basically a child when it came to the outside world. It was justified and. . . oddly comforting.

"Elincia, may I ask you something?" she questioned as a thought crossed her mind. She gulped down her food while Elincia nodded slowly, somewhat taken by curiosity as to what she meant.

"If this. . ." One waved her fork around, she meant the whole initiative. "If this fails, what will become of the people in here? What will become of you? And this world?" Elincia's face became unexpectedly gloomy. One wondered what she was going to answer. She had a Pegasus, maybe she could run? Did she even think she could run? Or was she just going to grovel for mercy? Maybe even push away any accusations of having ties with them?

"Well now, I must say, I'd not live to see what would happen first. I even doubt I'd see it fail," Elincia said, releasing a soft, sad chuckle while she clutched to her chest. "You see, I'd probably be dead by then. I'd die like any other soldier. The people in here are my family. I'd sooner see myself die than let them die alone. That is my answer. I'm sorry I couldn't be of help with the world, but I've only thought about myself and the others." Something clicked at that response. Elincia heard the fork hit the table and looked up to see One walk out of the room, plate somehow completely clean.

_She could be playing you. Are you going to fall for it so easily?_ Oh, so now she was back. Not that it mattered, One had completely tuned her out.

A single person. That's all she needed. She had done some despicable things in the facility, she had taken people's most prized possession various times, and she had done it for herself. She could not deny there was something in her burning with vengeance, but that, along with what she did, haunted her. However, as long as she was doing something to protect another; another person who truly deserved it, she did not care. Those were not the words or eyes of a liar. This whole organization could be rotten to the core for all she cared. Elincia wasn't. Their goal wasn't. And their goal coincided with her own. For now, there was nothing more to it. This world needed help, and whatever they could get was good enough.

In mere minutes, she had descended onto the training grounds.

"One?" Ike questioned, seeing the girl swiftly walking into the center and drawing a sword.

"Oh, I think I understand her," Stefan said, cutting in between the two and drawing his violet katana. "Will you be the one to break my sword?"

"Really now, she's coming?" the commander asked in the reunion table, his blue eyes centering on the one person that had come this night. The sandy-blonde haired woman called Amalia.

"If what Elincia told me is true. . . then yes," Amalia told him, trying to sound disinterested but even she seemed to be anxious for the reply. She dealt with it by scrolling through papers furiously until a particular one crossed her gray eyes. "About this though. . ." she said, handing the paper towards her leader, who nodded as he read it. "We have him now."

"So, he's back again huh? Friggin' Wolfie's been giving us trouble every year," he said, shaking his head. "Well then, I have an idea for it," he smiled, slamming the paper on the table. "He's gonna regret ever stepping foot in that forest."

Just in time for it, One and Elincia landed on the balcony. One slowly took a seat after the commander waved at her to do so, Elincia matching her motion.

"Sooooo I take it you're here with the answer? I'm kinda surprised you actually decided this soon," he said, sitting back down and staring at her with his blue, slit eyes.

"Yes. . ." One began, looking at Elincia and back at him. "I accept to join you against the Empire." This sure surprised Amalia. Anyone could guess that she expected One to simply ask for refuge.

"Ooooh. . . so I wasn't wrong about you," the commander said, covering his face with his hand, only looking through the spaces between the fingers. "Those eyes. . . they may be kind, but they are ones of someone who stands for her beliefs. Why did you join then?" he asked, taking One off guard. She stuttered as the commander chuckled playfully, and then she answered:

"I know that you need me and I can't say I don't want to make them pay. . . but I'm not doing this for my beliefs. I don't trust most of you, I just can't either. I am simply doing this because I need to protect those who were kind to me. Elincia was kind to me and I trust her, so I'll help her. And I know that in the capital there may be a friend of mine, just struggling to get by. . . trapped in that cage. I have to get her out." The commander grimaced for a moment but then simply let out a jovial smile.

"Well then, that's noble. Here!" he exclaimed, throwing her a paper that she quickly grabbed. "There's your 'entrance exam'. Just read it up and meet at the entrance at sunrise. Sayonara!" he exclaimed, quite clearly pushing One out with his comments. Still, One did her best to nod and leave. For all she knew, she was accepted, even if the man seemed to have not liked the way she talked. As soon as she left though, Amalia ad to ask:

"You were. . . colder than usual," Amalia pointed out, to which the commander sighed and shook his head.

"She's closer to breaking than I thought. I can tell that she wants to do the right thing, in her mind and heart, but deep down, she wants revenge. She's bottling it all up. All that distrust for humans, all that pain, all that anger. I'm just not sure how she's going to deal with it. . ." He sighed, cringing his teeth as his sapphire eyes locked on to the Pegasus. "She's a ticking time bomb and we have to disarm it."

A day later.

_Iltorien  
__July 18, 2010_

"Okay One, we're ready for this. We didn't give the best impression yesterday, but we're going to change it today!" she told herself, trying to pump up for her adventure. Yeah, adventure. She clasped her hands and left the room, being careful not to wake up anybody with a shrieking door. She was shocked once she saw somebody already waiting for her.

"Elincia?" she gasped, the woman in orange smiling warmly.

"I just came to wish you good luck. I know Rex can be. . . strange sometimes, but he wouldn't have given you this chance if he doesn't want you near us," she explained, One noticing how she was clinging to a large, wrapped long object.

"Rex. Is that the commander?" she questioned, to which Elincia nodded, her eyes darting downwards.

"Well then, I suppose you should be going, but would you accept this?" she questioned, unwrapping the cloth to reveal a claymore. No, not a claymore. This was more like a normal longsword, just enlarged in both length and girth, a silver gleam coming from its blade, contrasting the golden handle that it possessed, both the blade and the handle decorated with various figures of mythical creatures.

"This is a Silver Blade. Stefan recommended it for you after sparring with you yesterday. It may be expensive, but think of it as a welcoming gift."

There were a lot of questions going around One's head at the time. First, how did Stefan know so much about her after just a few minutes fighting her? Second, just how much did that thing cost? It was probably made out of PURE gold and silver! Third, was she. . . getting a present? Her eyes almost tore up at the notion.

"Why did. . ." she questioned, biting her lip slightly, tightening it even more when Elincia slowly handed the blade over to her.

"Because we're friends."

That meant the whole world to One. Before she could know what she was doing, she had tackled Elincia to the ground and buried her head between her breasts, muttering 'thank you' over and over again. Not for the sword. That was nothing. But because of those three words.

"We are friends," she muttered again and again as she walked down the hallways into the entrance. She hadn't had a friend ever since. . .

"Hey. You're late." She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts when the now familiar blue-haired mercenary leader called her from the entrance. His face was somewhat annoyed, but it only lasted for a second.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, Ike shaking his head.

"I was just pointing that out. Don't worry, it takes time to get used to it," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"What do you mean?" One asked, Ike shrugging.

"Life. I mean, you're not experienced on it, are you?" he asked, to which she could only nod in response. He was surprisingly astute for someone so blunt and rough.

"I guess you're right," she replied with a hint of relief washing into her as she followed Ike into the misty outdoors. She looked into her paper, the simple sheet simply saying:

Hunting Mission

The Lone Black Wolf

**HoL:TS**

_Toy World  
__August 2, 2010_

_Few hours my ass! It's Friday morning and we're STILL looking!_ Roxas shouted at Sora, waking him up. Sora scratched his eyes tiredly, looking around Bo Peep's house's guest bedroom.

_I'm getting sick and tired of this bullsh—_

_ Roxas, shut the hell up for a moment,_ Sora yelled at him, trying to wake his tired limbs. He stretched in the bed. He sighed and contacted Roxas again.

_Get the others for breakfast,_ Sora told him.

_Whatever,_ Roxas grumbled.

"Ah, Sora, you're awake!" Bo Peep exclaimed, bustling into his room, wearing only her night dress. Sora blushed and looked away hurriedly.

"Um, I- I- uh, didn't. . . see anything!" Sora stuttered.

"What? Oh!" Bo Peep cried. "Okay, you can look now," she said. Sora did and she was wearing a bathrobe.

"Come on sleepy head, your friends are waiting for you," she told him. He grunted in acknowledgment as he stood up, stretching and yawning. As he emerged from Bo Peep's small house, he looked around and saw that barely any toys were "awake" yet. Buzz was working on his spaceship with a couple of toys while Woody sat moodily on Andy's bed. Andy must have been to school by now. He then found his friends, said farewell to Bo Peep and thanked her before heading to them.

"Hurry up, I'm hungry!" Roxas said. Sora clicked his toy transporter and they beamed up to the ship. Sora made them all breakfast. He had learned a thing or two from Goofy and was able to make quite delicious food. He served them all and they sat, talking.

"We've been here for five days, why don't we just leave?" Merideth asked angrily.

"Because this world has had more heartless than any I have seen," Sora said.

"I agree with Sora. We can't let selfishness get in the way of what is right," Kairi stated, Naminé nodding along with her.

"Well, I don't really care, but wouldn't we have found it by now?" Roxas said.

"Maybe it's outside the house?" Sora suggested.

"No, we've been in Andy's yard, there's nothing there," Kairi said.

"What if it isn't even on his property?" Merideth said.

"That's a possibility," Naminé said, eating her food quite quickly.

They continued to eat and discuss this. Sora had, the entire time, listened to their wishes. He had spent time playing with the toys, getting to know them, and listening to the tales of Buzz, who still believed he was a space ranger. Not only that, but Andy's room had gone under a transformation. What had once been cowboy themed was now space themed. He had been replaced, no matter what anyone wanted to believe. Sora felt sorry for Woody, but he was having too much fun with the toys to worry. And then he had seen the next door neighbor, Sid. He was a delinquent of a kid that found pleasure in destroying and torturing toys. Sora found this despicable. They finally finished their food and were ready to go back down.

"Come on, we better get back to looking. We have the attic to go to next," Kairi said. Everyone but Sora groaned as they approached the teleportation room.

"Hey, you all insisted that I didn't help. It's not as easy as it seems, is it?" Sora told them. They did not reply as they all beamed down, becoming plastic again. They searched, came up for lunch, went back down and searched some more. Well, they tried to after lunch, but something caught their attention. All the toys were surrounding the window. The teens made their way to the sill, curious like everyone else.

"What are you saying, Potato Head?" one of the toys said.

"I'm saying that Humpty Dumpty was pushed!" Mr. Potato Head exclaimed. He then pointed at Woody. "By Woody!"

"What's going on here?" Sora asked, making himself into the center of the toys.

"Woody here pushed Buzz out the window, didn't you Woody?" Mr. Potato Head asked, stepping towards Woody.

"Come on guys, it was an accident, you believe me, right?" Woody pleaded. Before Sore knew it, they had converged on Woody. The army men had sprawled all over him while the others tried to get him, but they all stopped as Andy thundered up the stairs. Sora and his friends hid behind an overturned globe while Andy went into his room. He was searching for Buzz, but since he couldn't find him, he picked Woody up and left.

"Sora, go get Buzz while we search, okay?" Kairi asked him, placing a hand on his arm. He took the transporter, gave it to her, and looked into her eyes.

"Okay," he simply replied. He walked over and jumped out the window without a second thought. He forgot just how far down it was and started to scream before he hit the thick and wiry bushes. He cracked against their branches, wincing in pain. He should have thought that one out a bit more. He hit the soft ground and staggered to his feet, clutching his head painfully. He saw Buzz.

"Buzz, come on, let's go back inside," Sora said to him. Sora noticed he was barely paying him any attention. Sora followed Buzz's gaze and saw that Woody was thrown into the van by Andy.

"Come on, Sora," Buzz ordered, and for some reason, Sora followed him. They jumped onto the back fender of the family van as it pulled out of the driveway.

**HoL:TS**

Kairi sat nervously at the window sill as the sun sank. Sora and Buzz had been gone for a while now and she was becoming worried.

"Maybe they went with Andy in the van?" Naminé suggested, sitting down next to Kairi. Kairi huffed, pulling her legs in and resting her chin on her knees.

"Yeah, they would have been here by now. We checked outside and nothing. Don't worry Kai, Sora will be just fine," Roxas placated, placing a hand on her shoulder before sitting with Naminé. She leaned into him and smiled.

"Roxas is right, he is resourceful and has been just fine before. Come on, let's go to sleep early," Merideth said.

"You all can go. I'll sit right here," Kairi said glumly. They tried to convince her, but to no avail.

"Be safe, Sora," Kairi muttered, her voice trailing with the evening wind.

**HoL:TS**

It was now nighttime at about seven o' clock. Sora and Buzz had sat quietly on the bumper of the van, waiting for it to stop. It finally did at a gas station. This was the cue for Sora and Buzz to go inside the van and talk to Woody. They walked over to the open sun roof and peered down.

"Buzz! Sora!" Woody exclaimed. They dropped down. Buzz stared angrily at Woody. Woody looked guilty and Sora felt awkward to be with them in this situation.

Oh, Buzz! You're alive. I'm saved! I'm saved! Andy'll find you, take us back, and then you can explain this was all just one big misunderstanding, right!?" Woody near pleaded, and weakly at that. It was evident that guilt was eating at him. Buzz made no response but held that angry glare.

"I'll have you know that we don't promote the idea of revenge on my planet, even though you tried to terminate me," he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh. That's good," Woody replied.

"But we're not on my planet, are we?" Buzz asked masochistically.

"Um. No?" Woody responded. With that, Buzz tackled Woody out of the van and onto the pavement. Sora reluctantly followed them. They rolled out and under the van, locked in combat. Sora tried to break them up, but it was useless. They kept fighting until the van door shut and it drove off, leaving the three of them there.

"Wait! Does he not know I'm there?" Woody asked, mainly to himself. Buzz had opened his wrist communicator and was taking a log.

"The local sheriff, Sora, and I are at some large refueling compound of some sorts. We have been stranded by Andy. Now we—" he was interrupted by Woody. But before Woody could continue, a large truck rolled over them, nearly crushing them. Sora just evaded one of the wheels while Buzz consulted his wrist again.

"According to my nava-computer, we're—"

"Shut up! Just shut up, you idiot!" Woody screamed at him. Sora just watched the transaction.

"Sheriff, this is no time to panic," Buzz said.

"This is the perfect time to panic!" he yelled back. Sora agreed with Woody, wondering how he would get back to Andy's house. Kairi had the transporter, and it only affected those within its radius. Sora just tuned back into what the toys were arguing about.

"And you, my friend, are delaying me of my rendezvous with Star Command!" Buzz shouted angrily.

_Okay, this is getting old. He still believes this?_ Sora thought to himself. . . Thought! That's it!

_Roxas! Answer me! _Sora screamed in his mind.

_Sora! Where are you!?_ Roxas answered back.

_I'm at some gas station that has to be miles away. Andy left me, Woody, and Buzz here by accident. We're stranded, but don't worry and don't tell Kairi! Got it?_

_ Got it, just be careful and quick! We had a Heartless attack just a few minutes ago. It was the worst one yet. There were new breeds Sora. New breeds from Maleficent, no doubt. They were even labeled. One type was a "Praetorian" and the other was a "Centurion". You need to hurry. They were very difficult and we barely took care of these new foes._

_Okay, I'll try. Just take care of her,_ Sora said.

_I will._

Woody was just staring blankly at Buzz.

"YOU ARE A TOY!" he shouted at Buzz, and it was as loud as he could. Buzz just looked back. "You're no space ranger! You're not the real Buzz Lightyear! You're an action figure! You're just a child's plaything!" Woody exclaimed, on the verge of hysterics. After that they walked in different directions, leaving Sora alone. Sora sighed and turned around. There was the answer.

"Guys!" he yelled to them both. They turned in response. "I found a spaceship that'll take us out of here!" They ran to him and he pointed to the Pizza Planet pizza delivery truck. "Come on! Andy's waiting for us!"

They all walked over and made their way into the back of the truck. Buzz went to the front seat where the driver could see him and buckled his seat belt. Sora and Woody were content to stay in the bed of the truck. Well, they were content for now. The truck came to life and was off to Pizza Planet.

It was now about eight o' clock and it was dark out, the stars were shining. The truck barreled into the lot, parked, and the driver left the car. Sora heard Buzz's voice from afar. He fell onto his face in pain. That had been a wild ride. He had been thrown and bashed around for nearly an hour, tool boxes and trash hitting him. The metal walls and floor made it all that much worse.

"Now I know how Riku felt," Sora grunted in the pain. He found Woody and helped him to his feet. Buzz jumped down to them, looking uninjured and fine.

"Come on, we have to go," he said. "The entrance is heavily guarded. We need to find a way in," he told them. They uttered in acknowledgment as they exited the truck and watched Andy enter the building.

"Well, how do we get in?" Woody asked.

Five minutes later.

"I don't know if this is genius or not," Woody said. Sora was walking blindly from an empty french fry container. Woody was in a cheeseburger box while Buzz was in an empty cup. They sneaked past the "guards" and made it into Pizza Planet. They discarded their disguises and stared in awe at the amazing place they had come to. It was all of his childhood dreams and fantasies come true. Games as far as the eye could see, toys and prizes, candy and food, soda, games, food, games, food, food. . .

"Sora! Snap out of it!" Buzz said, drawing Sora back to reality. Sora shook his head and followed them. While Sora and Woody were busy looking for Andy, Buzz ran off towards a claw machine that resembled a massive rocket. Sora and Woody mumbled in frustration as they missed their chance to follow him. They climbed through the toy exchange and into the main room of the machine. They emerged in a sea of small alien toys. They were all in awe of the newcomers.

"Who's in charge here?" Buzz demanded. They all looked and pointed up.

"The claaaaaw," they breathed in unison. Sora found them cute, yet creepy. Then, a hideous laughter echoed as Sid came into view.

"Get down!" Sora said as he tackled Woody and Buzz down into the sea of aliens. He pulled them back to the back hatch. Sid began working the claw and hooked an alien. Sora couldn't let that monster of a child take the poor toy. He leaped up and grabbed him, pulling him back. Woody and Buzz helped, but the other aliens forced them up, insisting that he had been chosen. Sora gave up and became still as they were taken up by the claw.

"Whoa! Triple prize!" Sid yelled. He greedily took the alien, Sora, Woody and Buzz. He shoved them in his backpack before he was called by a woman, his mother no doubt.

An hour later.

"Oh no, we're going to Sid's house. No toy has ever went in there and come back alive!" Woody cried out as the front door opened. They peered through his slightly open backpack and were greeted with a vicious Bull Terrier dog. His owner commanded him to sit and stay. Sid reached into the bag and grabbed the alien. The dog tore him to pieces. They ascended the stairs with Sid. He approached and angrily opened the door, entered and slammed the door forcefully.

They were trapped and salvation was just next door.

* * *

TUH: I had meaningful action in I'ltorien.

TN: Yes, I'm looking forward to One's next chapter. Bound to be full of action.

TUH: *silence*

TN: Well, readers, sorry for such a long wait. The next one should be faster and will finish up Toy Story. Then, we get to see Riku! Anyone excited? If so, leave it that box right down there!

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	8. Saraqael

Hello. We just wanted to say some things and clear them up for all our fans and readers. First of all, thank you so much for sticking with us so far, and that it will get better from here on out.

Now. If you all have been wondering about I'ltorien. Yes, it is supposed to be mysterious and confusing. It does have a role to play, but that will be later. So we ask you all that are wondering, please be patient. And if you have been patient, then thank you very much. It will all come together in the future, trust us.

Next. We are sorry if the stories within the movies have been bland. We are trying our hardest not to break and disrupt their canon. We are trying to make them as interesting as possible, and hopefully you'll see that in this chapter.  
We promise you all, things will REALLY pick up on chapter 14. We have another world for Sora and Co. to go to which will take three chapters and we have two chapters to do with Riku. After that, the pace should increase by a lot.

As of now, we have a total of 28 chapters planned for this first book in the trilogy. THIS MAY CHANGE. This is the planned course, but is apt to change. We hope this sheds some light for you all.

Thank you all for reading this far, and we encourage you to stay until the end!

TN  
TUH

* * *

TN: So, I'm excited that we have got a plan for the chapter count and layout. It'll make this easier on both us and the fans.

TUH: Now, if we can finally reach "that" point.

TN: What point?

TUH: The halfway extravaganza.

TN: Ah, yes. The "teaser" this chapter alludes to.

TUH: *Rubs hands* Yes... yesssss

TN: Even though I'll end up with most the writing, haha.  
TN: Anything you wanna say that's important that the giant note didn't?

TUH: Not really.  
TUH: Also, one thing about the note  
TUH: "The only reason I won't write some parts is because... that'd be giving too much away."

TN: Well, let's have Sora do our disclaimer and let's get this chapter a-goin'.

Sora: Ugh, why me again? Oh well. They don't own Disney, Square Enix, Fire Emblem, and a whole bunch of other stuff that may find relevance in this. Tor owns the world of I'ltorien and Alexia. They both own the plot. Enjoy and review!

* * *

**Chapter VIII**

**Saraqael**

_August 2, 2010  
__The World That Never Was_

"Is the prototype ready?" Maleficent asked icily, looking toward her lead scientist and ally. He stood up, adjusted his leather lab coat, and slicked back his hair, all in one fluent motion. She silently wondered at how he could wear a _leather_ lab coat.

"It is almost finished. I also assume you reviewed the performance of the Praetorians and the Centurions?" he countered, adjusting his glasses and staring at her, waiting for an answer. She sighed.

"Yes. I knew that the children would defeat them, but I am pleased at how difficult it was for them. Though, that may not be the case with Sora. I hate to admit it, but he is stronger than the others, and therefore will find little trouble with them." She leaned on her staff heavily. He smiled a tight lipped smirk, barely showing merciless white teeth.

"It's good to know that they work. Now you have many at your command. The virus should keep all Shadows and Neoshadows turning into these new breeds. It was rather difficult to infect something without a biological anatomy," he said smugly, proud of his work. She scoffed within her mind.

"Just make sure this prototype does some actual damage to the kids. I want to see better results," she told him. He bowed as she left. She knew that the Keybrats would defeat it, and that he would undergo work on Mark II of the prototype. She knew all this, and it angered her. The one thing she was happy about was the ease at which Alexia had been accepted into her enemy's ranks. Now she had someone on the inside, and that was a priceless relic. Alexia had been good at keeping tabs with Maleficent, talking to her when she could get away with it. And of all the people that Alexia had been stuck with, Maleficent found it ironic that it would be Riku. He was being used and fooled by her a second time, and he didn't even know it.

Maleficent turned the corner to go to Where Nothing Gathers. She opened the ornate doors with a thought and entered the dark room, flickering with light and shadows, mainly because of Hades' hair.

"Ah, doll face! Just the maniacal witch I was looking for," he said in his charismatic way. Maleficent had always let him speak to her like this because she could do nothing to stop him and she didn't really mind when it was him.

"Ah, Hades, what is it that you could possibly want?" she asked sarcastically. All he talked about were his plans.

"Well, they set everything up, just like you had promised. And I thank ya for that, sugar. But I had the best idea to make it really spectacular! Dazzle the crowd with some show! Make a party and excitement! Yes, that's right. It's ALL going to go down at THE OLYMPIAN CUP!"

**HoL:TS  
**

_August 2, 2010  
__Toy World_

"That dog is just horrible!" Sora said to Buzz and Woody while they sat in Sid's backpack. They heard his voice drift from downstairs, a voice of a sadist.

"Hey Hannah, did my package come in yet?" he asked her in the closest thing to a normal tone that Sora had heard from him yet. Hannah's soft voice was very faint.

"I dunno," she replied simply, her mind obviously on something else.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Sid asked, his normal anger back. Sora trembled slightly as he heard Scud chew on the poor alien in the second floor hallway just outside Sid's room.

"I. Don't. Know," she said in a slow way you might for a person with impaired hearing. Sora's grandmother was the same way.

"Oh look, Jane's sick," Sid told Hannah. Instantly, Hannah shouted at him.

"No she's not Sid, give her back," Hannah pleaded.

"She needs surgery," Sid said in a masochistic tone, hinted with longing.

"Well that sounds bad," Woody said. Sora agreed as they heard Sid thunder up the stairs, and sweep shut the door to the bedroom behind him. Hannah pounded at the door, screaming. Sid locked it and approached his bedroom desk, holding a doll. He put on a painter's mask like a doctor's and put Jane's head in a vise and tightened it. Sora thought he could see dismay and fear on Jane's face before the vise crushed it. Sid's sick laughter echoed in the room. Sora watched with Woody and Buzz, in fear, as he grabbed some tools and a toy pterodactyl.

"No one has ever tried a double bypass brain transplant before," Sid exclaimed with laughter, beginning his Nazi-esque experimenting. Sora was disgusted as he watched a fellow toy be maimed. Sora could only imagine the pain and horror Jane was feeling.

"We're finished," he said softly, like one may say to a lover. This boy was demented, cruel, and sick. "Oh Hannah. . ." he said coyly. He opened the door and there she was, standing morosely.

"Jane's all better now," he said, handing her the doll. Jane's head had been replaced with a pterodactyl's. Hannah screamed and dropped the toy at Sid's door.

"MOM!" she shrieked, running downstairs. Sid kicked the toy into his room.

"It's not true! Whatever she says, it isn't true!" Sid yelled, following his sister and slamming his door. All was quiet. The three of them peered out of the bag and cautiously stepped out of it. Sora looked around the room. There were heavy metal posters, power tools, and toy remains scattered everywhere. They were in toy hell.

"We're gonna die! I'm outta here!" Woody said fearfully, sprinting away from them. He jumped from the bed and onto the doorknob. It didn't budge and he dropped to the floor. "Locked? There's gotta be another way out of here," he said, looking around the room. Sora was startled as he jumped down to Woody. He had heard a sound. He looked slowly around with Woody to see a yo-yo rolling slowly towards them before it stopped and landed on its side. Sora's Keyblade flashed to his hand while Woody grabbed a flashlight. He turned it on and surveyed the area around them. Sora, brandished the blade in the direction of the light as it changed. A sound came from under the bed, a child's worst nightmare.

The face of a baby appeared from the shadows. Woody sighed in relief at the normal and safe looking toy.

"Ah. Hey little fella, do you know a way out of here?" Woody asked. The baby crawled forward and both Sora and Woody let out gasps of shock and fear. Sora was now looking at the head of a deformed baby atop a spider's body constructed out of parts from an erector set. Sora backed away in horror but was stopped by Woody. All around them, emerging from the shadows, more deformed toys made their presence known. Woody let out a small squeal and darted up onto the bed. Sora flourished his blade as he too, jumped up on the bed. Woody and Buzz were back in the pack as Sora followed them. The toy's didn't follow but grabbed the parts of Jane and the pterodactyl, pulling them into the shadows.

"They're cannibals!" Buzz exclaimed. He then changed something on his laser. "I have now set my laser from stun to kill," he said, readying it. Woody rolled his eyes.

"Oh, great. If anything attacks us, you can just blink them to death. I for one, am trusting Sora," he said, standing and trembling behind Sora. Tonight was going to be a long night.

**HoL:TS  
**

That night, Kairi was still sitting at the windowsill, waiting for any sign of Sora, Woody or Buzz. Andy was yet to come back, so she had some hope that the three were with him. She felt so nervous and afraid for Sora, though she didn't know why. He could take care of himself and he had before, so why worry now? She felt worried. She needed to know if he was alright. She needed—

"Kai, aren't you going to go to sleep?" Roxas said, sitting down next to her. She looked tiredly over at him.

"Once Andy gets home," she replied somberly. She sighed and gazed outside like she had for hours now, not knowing that Sora was just in the room across the way.

"I'm sure Sora is okay, Kai. He'll be back with Buzz and Woody, don't worry," Roxas placated. She feebly nodded but kept her posture, gazing into the night. Then, the van pulled into the driveway. The other toys made their way to the window. They listened eagerly, just like Kairi.

"Mom, have you seen Woody? I can't find him anywhere!" Andy cried.

"Well, where was the last place you put him?" Andy's mom asked as she pulled the baby out of her seat.

"Right here in the van!" he said as he searched fervently in it.

"Well, you're just not looking hard enough," his mom answered.

"He's not here, mom. Woody's gone!" Andy exclaimed.

All the toys gasped. "Woody's gone?" Rex asked.

"Well what do ya know? He ran away, too afraid," Hamm said, as if he knew all along.

"I never knew he was capable of such atrocities," Rex said as the toys went away. Kairi wasn't thinking about all that. Woody wouldn't run away from Andy like that. She was worried at what happened to him and where Sora and Buzz could be. She was scared. She passed out at the windowsill, waiting for Sora.

**HoL:TS  
**

_August 3, 2010  
__ToyWorld_

Saturday dawned bright and sunny and stayed that way until it was about afternoon. Sora sat in an unseen corner, watching with dread, wishing he could help.

"Oh, a survivor, eh? Where is the rebel base? Talk!" Sid yelled at Woody, slapping him across the room. Sora had to give him credit, he was good at staying lifeless. Sid stared down at him with angered admiration.

"Your will is strong," Sid said passively, opening the blinds to his window, bringing in sunshine that the room seldom saw. "Well. . . we have ways of making you talk," Sid said, now using a magnifying glass to burn Woody. A spot was starting to smolder on Woody's forehead before Sid was called downstairs for some poptarts. Sid rushed out of the room, forgetting all about his interrogation. Woody sprung up, screaming in pain. He ran and dunked his head into a bowl of cereal. Buzz walked over with suction cup darts sticking off of him, helping Woody.

"I hope this isn't permanent," Woody said, rubbing at the spot on his forehead. Sora came out of hiding and walked to them. Just then. . .

"The door! It's open! We're free!" Woody exclaimed, rushing through the room, his boots clocking on the wood.

"Woody, you don't know what's out there!" Sora said, running to him and stopping him. As badly as Sora wanted to escape, he was afraid of Scud more. Clicking noises could be heard. Scuffling accompanied it. Then, out of the dense shadows, the mutant toys crawled, seeking their prey. Hungry. Ravenous. Greedy.

"Ah! Do something!" Woody screamed in fear, hiding behind Sora and Buzz. The toys blocked their only path to the outside. Buzz tried using his laser, but nothing worked, and for once, Woody took initiative. He grabbed Buzz like a hostage and pressed one of his buttons, activating a karate chop feature. Sora joined them, and with the threat of his Keyblade and Buzz's arm, they started to push through the mutant toys.

"Back! Back I say!" Woody shouted, jamming Buzz's button, making him chop against his will. Sora didn't attack any toys, but he threatened and waved his blade violently. The toys smartly kept their distance, circling the trio as the slowly progressed towards the ajar door. They slowly backed out and made it into the hallway, into freedom. They ran to the top of the stairs but stopped dead in their tracks and their faces would have paled, had they not been toys. Right there at the landing was Scud, sleeping and in the way. Could this get any worse? Sora sighed and thought it couldn't. Buzz ran down the hall and motioned for them to follow. They did, Woody crawling, and caught up with him. Sora's heart stopped as a sound loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood sounded behind him.

"YEEEE-HAAAAW!" Woody's voice box erupted. His string had gotten caught on the railing. It continued and they heard a disgruntled snarl come from Scud, padded footfalls strutting up the stairs. They scrambled, splitting up. Woody took refuge in a side closet while Buzz and Sora bolted into another bedroom, barely avoiding the hungry gaze of Scud. The dog heard something, and ran downstairs. Sora sighed in relief and went to exit the room with Buzz when:

"Calling Buzz Lightyear. Buzz Lightyear, this is star Command, do you copy!?" Sora whipped around and saw that Buzz was being displayed on a commercial. Well, Buzz had to find out sooner or later.

"What's this?" Buzz said, slowly approaching the television, mouth agape. The commercial showed all of the features Buzz had. Sora watched with a bit of pity as Buzz checked each one as the television said it. Dawning realization swept over Buzz. He gazed at the screen. His world was now revealed in a new light. He saw it differently. He even opened his wrist communicator and read that it said "Made in Taiwan." He sighed, bowed his head, and walked out of the room. Sora felt so sorry for him as he followed.

Buzz approached the railing and gazed at the open window across the second floor. There was no way to get to it but fly. Buzz had flown before, but now it seemed impossible to Sora. Then, Buzz climbed the railing.

"Buzz, what are you doing?" Sora asked him, watching him. The wings popped out and Buzz looked down at him, a fiery determination planted upon his face.

"I'm going to the Infinity," he replied, readying himself like he had nearly a week ago. "And Beyond!" he shouted, jumping out to fly. And it all happened, as if in slow motion to Sora. It seemed like he was going to make it. The daylight shimmered, like it had on Destiny Islands when the sun was low and kissed the horizon. The world seemed happy and at ignorance. But that was blissful. How he would have loved to go back and away from all this. But that wasn't his fate. He had to do this for not only himself, but his friends and all of the worlds out there.

The shimmering grew, and Sora nearly burst out in euphoria when he realized that the glimmer was just the Keyhole, coming to life. His Keyblade flashed to his hand and automatically aligned itself, sealing the door to this world's heart. But then Buzz started falling, and just like the now closed Keyhole, his dreams shut down, and he crashed to the bottom of the stairs. Sora ran after him, then ran back as Hannah found Buzz and took him. Sora bolted in to the closet with Woody, scaring him, and waited for Hannah to go to her room. On top of everything else, now they had to save Buzz.

"Come on Woody, we gotta get Buzz," Sora said, leading a dazed Woody out and into the hall. They ran to Hannah's room, but stopped before entering.

"Oh, that's soooo interesting. Please tell me more, Miss Nesbit," Hannah said. They peered around the corner and saw that she was serving Buzz, now Miss Nesbit, imaginary tea. He was being forced to attend a tea party with Hannah and her other girly toys. "Buzz!" They both screamed in whispers. He was dressed in a pink dress, and if this weren't so important, Sora would have died laughing. Then he thought of an idea. He backed up and did a _horrible_ high pitched imitation that could fool no one.

"Hannah! Oh Hannah!" he said in that ridiculous voice, already feeling his face blush with blood.

"Mom?" Hannah cried out. He about fell in disbelief. It worked!? He rushed to the closet with Woody as Hannah left her bedroom and walked downstairs. They waited a moment and then burst into Hannah's room. They approached Buzz.

"Hey Buzz! Are you okay?" Sora asked, looking him over. He certainly didn't look okay. He actually looked drunk, if that were possible for a toy. Buzz let out a large hiccup and faced them.

"It's all gone! Gone. Bye-bye. See ya, whoo hoo!" he slurred through his actual drunken state. He swiveled a bit in his chair. Sora and Woody stared at him in bewilderment.

"What happened to you?" Woody asked sincerely.

"One day you're fighting for the galaxy. . . and then you're sucking down Darjeeling with Marie Antoinette and her sisters," he said in a near unintelligible mumble, pointing to the dolls. Okay, he's drunk. Sora thought that the situation was funny, but needed to hurry it along before Hannah came back and took them prisoner too. Woody grabbed Buzz and his now dislocated arm and helped him to his staggering feet.

"I think you've had enough tea for today, Buzz," Woody said. The dolls waved him goodbye with creepy smiles.

"Don't you see? See the hat? I'm Miss Nesbit!" Buzz exclaimed with hysterical laughter.

"Snap out of it Buzz!" Woody screamed. He violently pushed the button to retract the helmet, slapped him across the face with his own arm, and then politely closed the helmet again. Buzz sobered up, took his arm and walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry. You're right," Buzz said, not wanting to discuss what he was just doing. Sora went into loud bursts of laughter. "I'm just a little depressed, is all." He then fell to his knees, crying.

"Oh I'm a sham! I can't even fly out a window," he said, pointing to it.

"Shh! Buzz, quiet down," Sora said.

"Guys, that's it! A window! Buzz you're a genius," Woody said, grabbing his friend by the attached arm and running back to Sid's room. Sora reluctantly followed.

"Tell me the hat looked good! It looked good, right? The apron was a bit much, not my color, but that hat was good," Buzz blubbered, being dragged. Woody ran back, grabbed a coil of Christmas lights, and went back to Sid's room, a plan formulating, and Sora was catching onto it.

**HoL:TS  
**

"B3," Mr. Potato Head said. Kairi sat at the windowsill again, staring out at the sky. Behind her, Mr. Potato Head and Hamm were playing a game of Battleship with Andy's new board game set.

"Miss. G6," he retorted.

"Ah, you sunk it!" Mr. Potato Head exclaimed.

"Hey guys! Guys!" Kairi's head shot around to Sid's house. There in the open window was Woody!

"Guys, it's Woody!" Kairi cried out, alerting everyone. The other teens rushed to her before the rest of the toys made their way there. Her heart started racing. Was Sora with him? And Buzz, too?

"Oh am I so glad to see you all. Here, Slink, catch this!" He threw them a coil of Christmas lights. Slink caught it and held it with a firm grip. "Okay, good, now tie it to something!" Woody yelled.

"Or, how about we don't!" Mr. Potato Head exclaimed, grabbing the lights from Slink.

"Potato Head!" Bo Peep cried, eying him suspiciously and with shock.

"I have Buzz right here!" And then Kairi saw Buzz's arm wave to them all. This seemed to change a lot of the toys' minds. But then Woody slipped and they saw that it was just a dislocated arm of Buzz. Rex vomited (_how's that possible for a toy?_) and the other toys, including the teens, let out gasps.

"No, it's not what you think! He's right over here!" Woody tried to say.

"Murderer!" And with that, Mr. Potato Head dropped the lights, canceling Woody's chance of making it over. Then she saw him.

"SORA!" Kairi screamed. This brought back the teens and toys that were leaving.

"Kairi, guys, all of you!" Sora said, that boyish and goofy grin spreading across his face. Then her anger boiled, and it was directed at Mr. Potato Head.

"You IDIOT!" she screamed, Destiny's Embrace flashing. She crashed into Mr. Potato Head with so much force that his body, limbs, and facial features flew all across the room. He was definitely going to feel that next morning.

"Are you guys safe?!" Naminé yelled.

"Yeah, we're just stuck here with that psycho child. I also found to Keyhole!" he told them. They all sighed in relief.

"Well, let's leave!" Merideth said.

"We can't until I get Woody and Buzz over there. Also, I have to be there, too!" he explained.

"Buzz really is over there?" Hamm yelled. Sora nodded.

"I have to go, they need me!" Sora shouted, dropping from sight. Kairi could finally rest easy knowing that Sora was just fine.

For now.

**HoL:TS  
**

"I have to go! They need me!" Sora shouted to his friends. He leaped down from the bed and saw that the mutants had converged on Buzz and that Woody was desperately trying to rip them off of him.

"Back you cannibals!" Woody screamed. Sudden;y they all backed away, revealing a whole Buzz, his arm back in its socket.

"You fixed him?" Sora asked, looking around at the toys. He even found Jane and the pterodactyl. They had been repaired as well.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you guys were going to eat my friend here," Woody said. Then all the toys retreated to the corners of the room. Before either Sora and Woody could ask why, they heard it.

"Not now, mom, I'm busy!" Sid was home and he was already making his way up the stairs. Woody and Sora try to move Buzz, but he was limp and still depressed. After trying, they gave up and ran to hide under an overturned milk crate. Just then, Sid slammed open the door.

"It's finally here!" he said with glee, placing a box on the workbench. "The Big One." He unwrapped it and they saw a large rocket titled The Big One. Sora's eyes grew wide as he thought of all the horrible things Sid could do with that. All the innocent toys. Sid then read off the label.

"Extremely dangerous. Keep out of reach of children. Cool!" Sid surveyed his room. "What am I gonna blow up? Where's that wimpy cowboy doll?" Sora and Woody clung to the top of the milk crate as Sid lifted it. He didn't find them but stepped on Buzz. He set the milk crate down and picked up Buzz.

"Ah, yes. Let's send a spaceman to orbit!" he laughed. He duct-taped Buzz to the rocket and was about to go outside when thunder, lightning, and rain crashed through the sky. "Aw man!" He set Buzz angrily down on the workbench and left his room. The day passes and it is nighttime, the storm still ravaging the outside.

Sid had placed a toolbox on the milk crate. Sora and Woody tried with all their combined might to move the crate, but it wouldn't budge. They gave up and then noticed that Buzz was awake and still sad.

"Buzz! Hey Buzz!" Sora said. There was no reaction. Woody threw a washer at him and hit him, grabbing his attention.

"Buzz, can you come over here and help us with this toolbox?" Woody pleaded. Buzz just looked away.

"Aw, Buzz, we can't— I need your help with this. We need you!" Sora said.

"I can't help anyone," he said morosely.

"Well sure you can. You can get us out of here. We can get that rocket off of you, and then we can make a break for Andy's house!" Woody said. Thunder clapped and lightning struck. Rain pelted the window, patting away a cadence.

"For once I am thinking. You were right all along. I'm just a toy. An insignificant toy," Buzz said dejectedly.

"Whoa! Hey, now, wait a minute. Being a toy is much better than being a space ranger!" Woody yelled. Sora just watched them work this out for Buzz, not knowing what to say.

"Yeah right," Buzz said, not believing. Woody sighed in tad frustration, but kept going.

"No, it is. Look, over in that house is a kid who thinks you are the greatest, and it's not because you're a space ranger, pal, it's because you're a TOY! You are HIS toy," Woody explained. Buzz looked at him differently. And Sora could tell and feel that it finally hit Woody.

"Why would he want me?" Buzz asked.

"Why would Andy want you?! Look at you! You're a Buzz Lightyear. Any other toy would give up his moving parts just to be you. You've got wings, you glow in the dark, you talk, your helmet does that. . . that whoosh thing. You are a COOL toy," and again it hit Woody as he said this. He looked depressed now.

"As a matter of fact you're too cool. I mean. . . I mean what chance does a toy like me have against a Buzz Lightyear action figure? All I can do is. . ." He pulled his string.

_"There's a snake in my boot!"_

"Why would Andy want me when he has a toy like you? I should be the one strapped to the rocket," he said to himself. Sora was almost going to cry when they heard a thump above them. They looked up and Buzz was there, his hands on the toolbox. Woody and Sora nod along and all three begin to push the milk crate. It moves, but barely. They keep pushing, keep trying. The sun is rising. It's been seven days since they arrived. It's been a crazy week, and he was going to get out, now. Sora pushed with added strength, thinking of his friends, and the crate edged out enough for him and Woody to squeeze through. They jumped down and onto Sid's floor. Just then, the alarm clock in Sid's room went off. All three of them went limp.

"Wha—? Oh yeah! Lift off!" He dressed grabbed Buzz and left the room. Woody and Sora followed him in hot pursuit, but were met by Scud in the hallway. They rushed back in and slammed the door before Scud could get them.

"Well, what can we do now?" Sora asked, slightly heaving. Woody was looking at the mutant toys.

"Hey guys!" he said. The toys retreated.

"No, hey, come here! We need your help to save an innocent toy!" Woody tried to explain. The baby spider looked at him, banged a code on a wall, and the other toys moved forward.

"Great! Now, here's the plan."

**HoL:TS  
**

Roxas was sitting in the empty room that was once Andy's bedroom. All the toys had been packed, everything had been searched for anything missing, and he and the other teens were waiting for Sora.

_Sora, what's going on?_ Roxas asked.

_Oh, hey Roxas. We're trying to save Buzz from being blown up in Sid's back yard. Actually, can you come over and help us? Get the others!_

_Wait! Sora!_

It was too late. Roxas glanced into Sid's backyard and saw that Sora and a bunch of other toys were hiding themselves around Sid and his yard.

"Guys, we need to go help Sora!" Roxas shouted. The girls looked at him questioningly. He sighed in impatience.

"There's no time to explain. We need to go!" They lifted the window open enough for them to jump out, and just like Sora, they jumped into the below bushes and made their way to the yard of Sid. They heard screaming. It was Sid. They picked the pace up and finally made it to the yard. Roxas burst out into laughter when they saw what was happening.

**HoL:TS  
**

_August 4, 2010  
__The World That Never Was_

"My queen, the prototype is ready," the scientist said, slightly bowing before Maleficent.

"Ah, send it out at once!" Maleficent said. She waved an arm, and her seeing stone flashed to life, illuminating the figures of Sora and his friends below.

"Yes, I shall have Sephiroth deliver it," he said, before turning on his buckled boot and heading out the door.

"Wait!" Maleficent shouted at him. He stopped and turned around.

"What is it, Maleficent?" he asked.

"What is the prototype's name?"

"Archangel Mark I: Saraqael," he replied smoothly. She smiled and cackled.

**HoL:TS  
**

_July 16, 2010  
__I'ltorien_

As expected, Mìelthrì Forest, while just at the edge of the valley, was not something you'd arrive in a couple of minutes, so One and Ike were left to walk through the veiled valley on their own, deafening silence only rarely interrupted by the sounds of wildlife, which One barely got her sights on, due to the aforementioned mist that enveloped most of the valley. So, as someone would have it, the two human beings simply engaged in conversation.

"Ike… can I ask you something?" One managed to question after much pondering. She had been wondering a lot about the mercenary leader's intentions. True, she knew nothing about him, but she fancied herself a good judge of character, and Ike seemed to be blunt, direct and passionate about what he did to agree to go on an endeavor like this rebellion with nothing more than money on the line.

"Helps kill the time, so go ahead," he replied with a nod, never taking his eyes of the road. He was somewhat rough, but One had learned to not mind said personalities over the years, so she could question what she really wanted to question.

"Why are you part of this group? Is it only Elincia's money keeping you and your Mercenaries here?" she questioned, that one question gaining a look from her soon-to-be superior officer.

"Why do you ask?" Ike asked, causing One to break eye contact. "Oh, I see, you want to know if we are all good intentioned. Well, I got good and bad news for you," Ike commented, crossing his arms and continuing on, leaving the girl hungering for the rest. "The good ones are that the Greil Mercenaries never take a job just for the money. We take a job because we believe in the goals of said job and want to help the contractor fulfill them," he explained, One smiling inwardly, but nonetheless wondering just why Ike would say that there was bad news. The ranger sighed and shook his head, continuing with: "The bad news is that my intentions aren't the purest you can find out there,"

"What do you mean?" One questioned after Ike's long pause.

"The Black Knight." One shivered. She had seen that thing that was called a man. She personally didn't believe it so, for the only thing she felt when she looked into the visor that lead into the being's supposed eyes was a slithering void that threatened to swallow her hole.

"So you've met him," Ike pointed out, One nodding slowly. "Well, I've had the displeasure to do it too," Ike slowly, as if he was making an effort to put this out. "He killed the founder of the mercenaries. Greil. My father,"

One stopped right at that precise moment. Did she really force someone to prod into the darkest point of their past? She suddenly felt guilty. So guilty it showed.

"Don't feel like that. Don't worry, if anyone should be bad it's me. I'm not in this just because I feel what Elincia wants is good. I'm in this also because I want him dead,"

_You two are awfully similar, aren't you? All those feelings of revenge just nestling in your chest, ready to BURST OUT!_

Even if One ignored her split personality, she admitted she was similar to Ike. She was trying to follow what was "right", but she knew she wanted revenge too.

"But oh well, it's not like having the bastard dead will interfere with our plans and I don't plan to commit suicide by engaging him too early, so it's good for now. Just don't try to stop me." There was no aggressiveness in Ike's voice, not even in the end, just a sheer warning. One knew better than to say anything or try anything at this point, so she simply nodded and continued her walk, Ike now increasing the pace exponentially.

Mìelthrì was massive, lush and full of strange and nigh indescribable life forms. That, combined with One's sheer lack of knowledge about most things out of the facility only made it worse for her to recognize anything inside this forest. Everything from small furry mammals to large dinosaur-like creatures that Ike swore to be herbivores littered most of where the eye could look. The verdant forest was where a lot of animals had retreated once human occupation began to be overwhelming, the already massive ecosystem only growing larger inside it.

"Okay, here's the deal. Never go outside of vision range from me. I know this forest, you don't and let me tell you the further in you get the less likely you are to come out. It's not only denser but far less welcoming," Ike explained, meaning every word but going straight to the point, his eyes already in battle mode. Just for it, One was able to realize that whatever they were hunting was either aware or was intelligent enough to realize and maybe even create surprise attacks. One nodded at the man, touching the Silver Blade on her back before slowly but surely heading behind Ike, scouting his back and the left while Ike did the same to the right and the front. They walked like this for minutes, maybe even hours, Ike leading the way through the maze of green while One simply remained vigilant. She wondered what kind of thing they were hunting. The mission info only told them to hunt the _"creature that had been ruining the plantations and cattle of the area for three years straight."_ Nothing on how it looked or even its name, only the title of Lone Black Wolf.

Wolves. . . she had seen pictures of wolves. The carnivorous canines that hunted in packs, preying usually on small to medium herbivores for their easy capture and fast eating. It was in one of the few books her friends had managed to sneak in for her, a book about the basic wildlife. . . nostalgia was about to take her on a trip when a massive flock of birds exploded in flight at the screech of. . . something entered their eardrums.

"One, go left, I go right. Just don't get too far, okay?" One nodded and both Ike and One sprinted to their appointed directions, eyes darting right and left to see nothing but animals running away in fear. It wasn't long until One heard the screech again, even if now seemed much more like a whimper. She turned to the right, where she had heard it and immediately hid behind a tree trunk, looking around just to see if her target confirmed.

Oh it did. There was something just like she had seen in the books, a giant black canine, roughly two times her size just slowly eating away at its new morsel, one of the large herbivores she had seen earlier. "Ike! I got it!" she yelled, her inexperience damn near costing her her life, had the wolf heard her scream, which it didn't seem to, or it didn't care. Who knows? After that, One continued to observe the creature. Besides its massive size, it seemed rather normal, unless you discounted the now visible pair of saber teeth. She wondered how the thing would destroy crops or how could it have escaped the rebels for so long. Any and all such thoughts stopped once Ike appeared by her side, asking where it was.

"Over there," she told the mercenary, who proceeded to tell her to get down, both of them clinging to the ground and crawling through the foliage to get a better view. Ike's eyes laid an eye on the wolf and went still.

"That's. . . not it," he whispered, One looking at him curious. "Lone Black Wolf is just a nickname. That's a Kamu Orugaron not a. . ."

A low but sharp repeated cluck slowly made its way into their ears. The Kamu Orugaron seemed to take notice of this and looked to the side, eyes bulging before taking its prey by the neck and rushing into the forest. One and Ike turned back, Ike mouthing:

"A Yian Garuga. . ." As the purple beast in front of them arced its head upwards, opening its steel-like violet beak and screeching. It was as if one thousand chalkboards suddenly scratched inside One's head, her body reacting against her will and covering her ears with her palms as her eyes closed out of the sheer pain she was experiencing. It felt like her eardrums would soon be reduced to an amalgamation of blood. And then it stopped. One sighed in relief, thinking the worst to be over, but soon she felt Ike's arm pushing her to the side, the Garuga's beak narrowly missing his arm and her as it pecked on the ground repeatedly, its blade-like beak cutting into the ground like butter. Still, in the last peck, its beat must have hit an underground root, as the beast had become stuck. One took this time to get back and to put herself at a safe distance, drawing her blade.

She took a better look at her prey. . . or hunter. The thing resembled a cross between a dragon-like creature and a foul. It stood on two legs and had two wings that largely out-scaled the rest of its body, along with a long tail. It stood at what would be one and a half times a human, yes, it was not large, but the looks intimidated much more. First, as before mentioned, all of its body was composed of different shades of purple, each of it seemingly a different kind of shell. The darker ones, black even, seemed like real carapaces, spiked to boot, and it went all the way to the tail, where its tail spikes dripped with a strange liquid. Its beak was large and curvaceous, but sharp. It possessed one large violet ear on the right and what seemed to be the leftovers of another in the left. Same for its eyes, as its shinning green eye on the right was contrasted by a giant scar replacing it on its left. It's head sported a white mane, much like a wolf's.

"One! Two things! Don't hit the armored scales in the chest, back and wings. You won't be able to cut it. Two, the tail is poisoned. One slash and you're done! Aim for the beak!" Ike exclaimed just as the Garuga removed its head from the ground. It clucked again and shook it, then looking around to see both One and Ike, one on each side. There was a sudden glint of nigh intelligence on its eye as it took the initiative. It first turned to One and pulled its head backwards before spearing it forward as its beak opened, a big ball of flame shooting from it as if it were a missile. The girl dove to the side to dodge, the heat of it being way too close for comfort, as her feet barely escaped singing. To make matters worse, the fireball EXPLODED when it hit a tree. One quickly shook her head and stood back up just to see how the Garuga had taken this chance to charge at Ike, who trying to block it head-on, got pushed back into a tree. Seeing this, One summoned power deep inside her, creating thunder out of nothing and commanding it to spear onto the beast. It hit the target dead on. . . and did nothing.

"It's strong against fire and thunder!" Ike exclaimed, suddenly dropping to the ground to release himself from the Garuga's hold against the tree and slicing at its beak, cutting a small but noticeable wound beneath it, red blood splashing his face as the wyvern cried out in pain.

"What should I hit him with?" One asked, summoning her energy but waiting before giving it form.

"Water! High pressures of it!" Ike told her as he dodged the furious pecking of the thing by rolling to the side and jumping back into fighting position. One heeded his advice, directing her powers downwards, summoning the water that streamed bellow the forest and commanding it to erupt like a volcano. The Garuga did not understand what the rumbling of the ground and the sound of flowing water meant until it was too late, a geyser erupting from bellow it, catapulting it skyward for ten meters or more before suddenly stopping the current. The Garuga was too shocked and confused by what had just happened to use its wings in time to stop the crash, hitting the ground beak first, both it and the ground cracking under its weight.

"Good one," Ike stated, nodding and slowly approaching the wyvern. It seemed dead, its eye was unfocused and the straight fall beak-first may have just broken its neck. Still, Ike was going for the finishing blow to be sure.

Pity it was just what the Garuga wanted. Suddenly, the wyvern's eye re-focused, its beak spearing towards Ike clamping the mercenary. Ike let go of his sword at the shock and the creature rose back to its feet throwing Ike directly into a nearby tree, his neck making contact first, putting him out of commission.

"Ike!" One called, but she had no time to do so. The Garuga, now with smoke steaming from its damaged beak, turned to her with bloody murder on its one eye. It darted towards One in a speed she could nearly not react to, it was easily two times as fast as before the fall. It must have been PISSED. So, instead of dodging, One blocked it like Ike had done before the fall. Wrong move. Its power had obviously also increased, and the silver blade flew off her hands but she did manage to push herself away from its trajectory, falling to the ground.

To make matters worse, the Garuga turned midway through the charge, One suddenly having to block once again, but how?

_I'll take over Sunny, _her voice stated, not asked, as One felt her control over her body fade away completely, but also feeling a surge of power like never before. She watched as the body she had lived in all her life did something she never expected. It grabbed the Garuga's beak and stopped its charge on the spot. _Done. See? That was ea-_

A moment of lax overconfidence was exactly what creature needed. One gurgled blood as the cold realization hit her at the same time as the slicing pain. Looking to her side she saw it. The Garuga's tail, in an unparalleled act of flexibility, had twisted from the back of the wyvern and hit the girl on the side of her torso, the venomous spike entering her body, piercing her lung and injecting the foul liquid into her veins. She couldn't even cry, her body was paralyzed from the pain and shock. She could only look as her body fell nearly lifeless on the ground, the venom spreading horrendously fast, the Garuga clucking in victory. It then stopped. It was eying her and. . . licking its beak?!

_ Is it going to eat me?! Alive?!_

Isolated fear. That was what first struck One's mind, well, what working mind was left after the avaricious venom seeped through her being, slowly ebbing away at her life. She felt cold, as if the venom had replaced her flowing blood. But that wasn't true as she felt the sticky, warm dampness of the spewing blood execrate from her side. She coughed, and she spat it up. She remembered seeing the blood the other prisoners, the other subjects, spat when she murdered them. This must have been how they felt before the last minutes of their lives faded into the shroud of the void, ceaselessly and unmercifully. She regretted everything she had ever done. She never wanted that. She was forced. By that sadist. By him. . .

And for what, to be a weapon. . .

And a broken one, at that. . .

"Oh? What's that? Can it be? Soon-to-be fried chicken?!" a mature voice that sounded as childish as it possibly could suddenly touched One's ears. Moments later, the violet monster inexplicably started to float. It squirmed and tried to fight as best as he could, batting its wings, moving its legs, but it neither moved nor flied. It ejected fireballs at random, but then the strangest thing happened. They all seemed to be drawn into each other, melding and fusing into one giant glaze. "Thanks for the free material. Now I don't have to summon it!" the same voice exclaimed. "Now go be fried armored dinosaur chicken! Advent of the Phoenix!" the amorphous blaze followed the orders of its master, melding from an amorphous blob into the perfect representation of the legendary bird One had seen on fantasy books. The Fire Phoenix spread its wings wide and flew towards the screaming Garuga, engulfing it in its flames. The wyvern cried as its scales, flesh, even the inside of its body slowly melted, its life ending in mere seconds.

Moments later, it fell on the floor. Dead.

One was amazed, speechless. She could only wonder what kind of being would be capable of such a thing. But such thoughts were trivial, for her vision had started to darken, her blood now having brought the poison to all her body. Was this the end?

"And what do we have heeeeere?"

Blue eyes met violet.

**HoL:TS  
**

_August 4, 2010  
__ToyWorld_

"Haha! It worked!" Sora yelled, running to Woody and Buzz. Sora turned and saw that his friends had come, a little late, but they came.

"We saw what you did just at the end, that was brilliant!" Roxas exclaimed, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, now we can leave!" Merideth said happily.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. . ." A voice as harrowing as venom, as sharp as ice, emanated from behind them. They slowly turned and were faced with a toy Sephiroth, floating high above the sandbox.

"Sephiroth! What are you doing here?" Sora asked angrily. Four different Keyblades flashed to life and Merideth readied her bow.

"To deliver a message from Maleficent," he simply replied. He cast out his hand, and a circle of darkness appeared on the ground before them.

"Woody. Buzz. Run! Get to the moving van, we'll take care of this!" Kairi yelled at them. They didn't need to be told twice as they ran away, the other toys scattering as well, leaving what was about to become a battlefield.

The ground shook, as if it pulsated, a living being. The darkness grew, a tentacle being seen emerging from the nothingness. The Heartless continued to climb out, and it was massive once it finally was fully out.

Sora at first thought it was a Behemoth. It looked like one, but it definitely had differences. It had the same horn and yellow eyes. It was huge and bulking, standing upon it's massive four legs. The entire body was a blackish and sickly purple, covered in armor that was an actual part of the Heartless itself. The underside had less armor and the symbol could be seen. Along the back were eight more of the horns like that on its head; four on each side of the spine. It had no tail. Tentacles, four on each side, stretched out of it's ribs, flailing violently around. Each tentacle used a different element for attack, it seemed. The two closest used thunder, then fire, ice, then the last were pure darkness. The thing reared on its armored legs, roaring a deafening challenge. On the emblem on its stomach words could be read: _Archangel: Saraqael_.

Then, all around it, Heartless appeared. They must have been the Praetorians and Centurions that Roxas had warned him about, for they were labeled. The Praetorians were similar to Dusk Nobodies. They were bulkier, and their arms were swords themselves. They had a shielded back, forcing the attacker to fight face-to-face. Yellow eyes stared out from behind a Spartan-esque helm. The Centurions were different. They flew. They had four arms. Two held double-edged swords and the other two held blunt maces. The wings were large, giving it a long wingspan meant for fast a long flying. It had a tail as sharp as a spear and as flexible as a snake. They all shrieked with its leader's roar.

"Enjoy," Sephiroth said, and he vanished.

Without warning, Saraqael shot a laser that split into individual beams from it's mouth. They all flew towards each of the teens, intending to kill. They all dodged them easily, but that was just a ruse for the Praetorians and the Centurions to initiate their own attack. Sora dived under a Centurion and stabbed upward with his Keyblade. It penetrated, but did not completely kill it. It stabbed it again and shouted "Fira!" That did the trick as it blew apart.

"Wow! These things really are tougher than any other Heartless I know," Sora said, barely dodging a Fire tentacle. He was also amazed at how well the others were doing. In just a week, they had improved exponentially, even Naminé. Granted, they all needed more work, even Sora, but this was much better than before.

Kairi backpedaled from a slashing Praetorian, dodging left and right, looking for an opening. She found one and rolled forward, slicing at its ribs while she did so. Instead of blood, dark smoke misted out of the wound. The thing shrieked as it advanced on her again. It rushed at her again, more ferocious than before. She blocked a few and then her leg was sliced open. She cried out in pain and fell to one leg. She looked fearfully up and saw an arrow whiz above her head and right into the opening of the helm. It dissipated on the spot. At the same time of it being fired, her wound healed. She turned and thanked Merideth for saving her.

Roxas and Naminé were fighting back to back, holding off Praetorians and Centurions, all the while dodging beam attacks and tentacles from Saraqael. Naminé still struggled with fighting, not being adept to launch an offensive. She blocked and evaded well, but she was not as good with attacking wit her blade. She was, however, doing rather well with magic.

"Thunder!" she shouted, frying a Centurion out of the air, a crystalline heart floating upwards.

"That's nothing, watch this," Roxas shouted. "Thundara!" he yelled. His attack was weak, but it zapped multiple opponents, but didn't kill any of them.

"Hehe, it seems like I still suck at magic," he said. He then launched a physical offensive and obliterated the ones he attacked with Thundara.

Sora and Merideth finished off the last two Centurions before they all backpedaled to face down the enraged Saraqael.

"Okay, here goes," Sora said, as he led them in a charge against Saraqael. There was a loud and piercing scream. Sora whipped his head around and saw a Thunder tentacle return from striking Kairi, sending her into the nearby fence. The electricity coursed through her, making her body spasm. Sora's blood boiled as Merideth rushed to her aid.

"You son of a bitch!" he rushed, evaded another blow, and sliced off the tentacle that had hurt Kairi. Black mist poured from the wound and it let out a loud and ferocious roar. He attacked the armor, but it only chipped and cracked.

"We need to focus on the armor so we can penetrate the skin and kill it!" Roxas shouted, hacking at the armored leg. Naminé fired a Fira spell at it and blasted of a small chunk of armor, but not nearly enough. It was about the size of a fist. Sora checked over to see how Kairi was doing and was relieved to see that she was not standing, holding an empty Hi-Potion bottle. They rejoined the assault.

They kept at it, hacking, blasting, and persisting. They tried to take the armor away, but they made little progress. They were all battered and bruised, bleeding from small cuts, and all around tired.

"Blizzaga!" Sora shouted, freezing the armor. He then cast a Thundara spell on it and it did great work.

"Nice thinking, but let's try this instead," Kairi shouted. She ran over to another leg, untouched.

"Fira! Blizzara! Thundara!" she shouted. First she broiled the armor, then flash-froze it, and then completely shattered it with the Thundara. It howled as she sliced at the leg. Soon after, and many ethers later, they had removed much of the armor. It was bleeding profusely through many wounds and was starting to stagger. It then charged all eight horns and unleashed a powerful attack. Nearly a hundred beams launched from Saraqael, all aiming at the teens. They evaded what they could, but did not dodge them all. They all recuperated in a small huddle, facing the monster. It reared on its hind legs.

"NOW!" Sora shouted! The four different Keyblades launched different spells, and many of them, aiming at the weak belly. Merideth loosed two arrows at once, both flying through the spells, charging them with different elements. It all hit home on the emblem and let out a massive explosion. The thing roared and reared, spluttered and then fell over, sending dust and dirt everywhere. It gurgled and then dissipated into nothingness, a massive crystalline heart floating towards the heavens.

All the teens slumped and caught their breath. That had undoubtedly took a lot of energy to do. Then they all smiled and even laughed. Without anyone telling her, Kairi produced the device and took them all back to the Highwind.

**HoL:TS  
**

_August 11, 2010_

_In Orbit Above World_

All week, the teens had trained in the simulator world while the auto-pilot took them to a world for a revisit. Sora was excited and hadn't told the where it was. They focused on their training, improving their strengths and weaknesses. All week they had done this, flying through the stars.

"We're here!" Sora yelled at them. They were in the kitchen, finishing breakfast. He was so excited he already had his eaten and was waiting for them.

"Sora will you just tell us what world this is?" Kairi pestered him, smiling at his immaturity. They followed him to the warp room. He said nothing until they were all in their pods.

"I can sum it all up with one word. . .

"Pirates."

* * *

TUH: Well, this I'ltorien chapter was certainly more eventful. And she arrives... *chuckle*

TN: Ah, her. I'm sure the fans will love her. I'm surprised that this is my first time writing part of I'ltorien since chapter 1.

TUH: Don't get cocky.

TN: I'm not, just said I was surprised, was all.  
TN: Also, I liked the boss fight with Saraqael. I finally got to show my action writing.

TUH: This chapter was just full of action, wasn't it? Just wonder if anyone will recognize the Yian Garuga.

TN: Hopefully. And if any of you do (or don't) leave it in that big box right on the bottom. We'll be bringing you chapter nine shortly. And we finally get to Riku and the mysterious villain OC: Alexia.

TUH: With Alexia and the new addition to I'ltorien's cast next chapter, it's girl power all the way it seems.

TN:Yep. Well, thanks for reading the chapter, and hopefully some more reviews than chapter 7.  
TN: See ya next time, right Herald?

TUH: Next time, see ya.

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	9. The Beginnings of an Army

TUH: You are going to hate me by the end of this.

TN: At least that takes the heat of my shoulders.

TUH: At least we bounced back up since last chapter.

TN: That's true. Now the readers can finally see what Riku and the villain Alexia are up to.

TUH: Not as much as they are going to see next chapter, hehe.

TN: Well, let the army begin.

* * *

NOTE: This chapter is highly focused on plot. Next chapter will be highly focused on character in counter. Thank you!

*DISCLAIMER AS USUAL*

* * *

**Chapter IX**

**The Beginnings of an Army**

"You. . . don't know your real name?" a much younger King asked One as they stood on the corner of a crowded room, everyone but them staring through a stained glass window. And no, it wasn't stained glass; no, it was normal glass stained by blood. You see, they were standing in one of the 'privileged' rooms right above the arena called the Pit of the Chosen. All inmates were required to be in this room to understand what they would surely be sent to do and even to evaluate each others skills, since they may just end up fighting them later on. Still, neither of the two felt the need to do it on this particular match. Well, One never wanted to do it, but this time, even King didn't. He already knew the victor and how she worked. Instead, he was focusing on his new friend. It had barely been a week ever since they had met, even though he was told One had been on the project during the start. She was small and easy to miss, barely leaving her quarters outside of the mandatory meals and battles and she wasn't much of a people-person either. King had to approach her to even get her to say something.

Now, you may be asking yourselves, why would it take a week to ask someone her name? Well, simple. It wasn't allowed. People inside the facility were nothing but experiments, and they were instructed to treat themselves as such. If caught calling out for someone by their respective name, you would be automatically scheduled for a fight to the death with that person to break any bonds made.

Still, King would not accept being treated like an animal.

"I don't. . . I never met my mother and they never told me anything. One is truly my name as far as I know," she explained, wincing at the sharp cry of pain that followed. Something else that King didn't understand was how she was so tame. She had the highest number of arena battles, and most were against the really proficient members. People feared being drafted One. Inside the arena she was a reaper of souls, but outside she was as fragile as a leaf in the wind. This dichotomy made for even more fear to loom on everyone who even thought of approaching her, since the "true her" was everything but evident. King had to admit, it felt stupid to drop his guard around her, but he couldn't help but to.

"That's awful. Your name is the only thing truly yours in this place. We have to fix this." If there was anything to cling to, anything that made sure you were YOU and not just a tool in here, it was a name. One didn't have a name. He could not risk her breaking under their demands, especially seeing her in the Pit.

A large shriek exploded afterward, suddenly being silenced, the sound of shattering ice then filling their ears. King and One rushed to the window just to see Eighteen slowly walk away from the shards of ice that once contained a full person.

"Number Eighteen has won the right to live another day! Next, prepare yourselves, number 245 and One,"

Silence.  
Harrowing silence.

King looked to the side to see how One had shriveled away, as if to dodge all the fulminating stares she was receiving, but not all of anger.

"No! You can't make me fight her! You can't! I'll take five on! Ten! Whatever! Just don't make me go in there!" the inmate she was supposed to fight screamed as he was dragged away by the guards. "Don't put me in there with the Pit Beast!" he shrieked before vanishing into the stairway. One cringed at the title she had gained over the years. But once a guard came to her and grabbed her arm, she knew there was no other way out except for murder. She left willingly, King watching as she was dragged into the exit, crossing paths with Eighteen.

"What? No, '_I'm glad you're safe_'?" the blonde asked, a grimace showing annoyance as she arrived at King's side.

"If I said that, you'd be annoyed at me not trusting you. I knew you'd win anyway," King replied, not removing his eyes from the glass.

"You interested in what's coming next? We all know she's just adding one more to her murder-streak," Eighteen dismissed, shaking her head in disgust.

"She's not to blame! We are all forced to do it!" King suddenly snapped, his brown eyes meeting her icy blue ones.

"She smiles, laughs even, while doing it. I take it you have a liking of picking up stray puppies, but there is a difference between a dog and a wolf in sheep's clothing," Eighteen replied, her voice almost sparking lightning.

"You really have to be like that to everyone you meet, don't you?" King told her, shrugging and turning to look to the arena.

"Don't speak like I'm talking bullshit. As much as she seems like a nice girl to you, the truth is she has another side to her. One that we're about to witnesses," Eighteen said, the duo just shutting up as they saw the trembling mess of a person being dumped in the Pit along with One. The gates closed and both knew they weren't about to open again until one of them breathed no more. One did not move, she never seemed to have a battle pose. The other one was a mess, as expected; he didn't move either. They stood there for a minute until One took one step in his direction, sending the man's eyes into overdrive as sweat trickled down his face. Taking a blade, he screamed more than chanted:

"GARUDA!" A whirling tempest erupting from the man and covered the pit with a tornado of blade-like wind. "Stay away from me! STAY AWAY!" he cried, swinging the sword more and more, creating blades of wind that soared through the tempest that pushed One back and drove into the girl. She quickly dodged the wave by moving her upper body left and right, even back, but she did not advance. King realized that the wind was probably too much for it. He wasn't worried about her life, more with. . .

"One got hit!" one of the bystanders exclaimed as all gasped. Indeed, in the second wave of wind blades, One had barely managed to avoid the last by whipping her head to the left, even then her right cheek got heavily cut.

"I'm going to lose my lunch if I watch this. . ." Yes, unlike what you may have thought, the true reason for the gasp was not the looming possibility of One losing. It was much the opposite. One started to slowly chuckle after the shock of the impact, her opponent screaming:

"DIE! DIE! LET ME-"

"USELESS! STOP!" One roared, the colors around her opponent inverting for a moment before returning to normal. The whirlwind itself seemed to stop in time, much like its user. One slowly walked towards the teenage boy, all of the watchers gulping in silence as she pulled out her dagger, giggling all the way.

"For you time has stopped, its checkmate…" she said as she took the dagger and threw it against his chest. The dagger stopped just as it touched the skin, being affected by the same spell.

"And time flows again," One announced, the teen's eyes jolting as the dagger sped into his lungs, a cry of agony being silenced by blood. One's eyelids then slit as her grin scared even King. It was sadistic, sick, and just downright evil. Edging closer and closer, the girl knelt down and ripped out the knife from the teen's lungs as he cried again in agony. She licked the knife, seemingly enjoying the taste of the red liquid streaming from it.

Suddenly though, her eyes returned to normal and her expression transformed from the savage beast-like expression she had into a horrified, ashamed one. She slowly looked up to the stands, the most apologetic of looks staining her face, eyes-watering.

"I knew it…" King whispered, looking towards Eighteen, whose face was still ice-cold, even in the midst of the confusion. Her eyes then opened up and her mouth opened in shock. She hit the window screaming:

"Behind you!" but it was too late. A blade erupted from One's chest, courtesy of number 245. The girl, shocked, lost all her strength and her arms slumped downwards.

"I. . . I did it! I can finally. . ." the backstabber exclaimed as One fell backwards.

"How DARE YOU?!" One roared, turning with such power the blade still inside her broke, her small but powerful hand grappling her opponent's neck.

"**GO TO HELL!**" she shrieked, her voice reverberating in everyone's ears, the glass shattering by the vibration, all of this as the final scream of the man came as One ripped out his throat.

Yes, that one man did lose his lunch. And he was not alone.

Hours had passed since then, and we know One as she stared at the wall of her room. She was curled up in the corner, knees against her chest, sobbing slowly and melancholic.

_What's wrong Sunny?_ the voice questioned, almost taunted. When she talked the wound burned even more than it did normally. She had not been treated, only dispatched after they stopped the bleeding. She had to heal herself once she regained the energy for it.

"What's wrong? I. . . I just lost the only people that tried to get close t-to me," she sobbed, remembering the look of disgust Eighteen had on her face and even worse, the look of sheer terror on King's face. They certainly looked at her like everyone did. . . a beast.

_Well, good! Last time I checked, you almost DIED trying to impress them! Let's not forget how you may have to KILL them later on. No use playing buddy-buddy with them!_ the voice told her, giggling at the reaction.

"B-but I'm so lonely. . . I have to talk to myself. I feel like I'm going insane!" One screamed, stuffing her head into her knees again and crying.

_Oh, let me tell you a secret sunny. . . you're already insa-_

"We're risking our neck for her? Why again?!" One suddenly opened her eyes and went into an alerted state; a low, metallic stream of thuds approaching.

"She got injured because WE showed restraint to the way she fought. She got hurt because she stopped to look at us. It's our fault." There was no doubt about it. She knew those voices.

"Number eighteen and number nineteen ninety four?" she called, loud enough for the voice to leave her vicinity, but low enough as to not wake any guards.

"Guess we're doing it either way now," Eighteen groaned, the bars to the ventilation system up above suddenly being dislodged, King's young face popping in One's view with a beaming smile.

"One, we have a surprise for you!" he exclaimed, extending his hand downwards. One questioned just what they were about to do with her, but they had just stopped her voice and she owed them an apology, so she took it, being pulled into the ventilation conduits.

"We can stand in here?" King heard One ask as soon as he closed the hatch.

"Yeah, pretty big, aren't they?" King said, the most casual of tones being used as to keep the girl as calm as possible.

"Let's move. And keep it down!" Eighteen told both, starting to walk in the opposite direction to One's room.

"If I can ask. . . why are you here? I don't want to insult you but. . ." One questioned, King patting her head.

"Think of what we're doing now as our apology," he explained, resuming to talk when One was about to ask what he was talking about. "Look, if it weren't for us, you wouldn't hesitated and you'd be fine right now. This. . ." he touched the left side of One's chest, who couldn't help but squirm in pain, "is our fault. So we're giving you something of greater value," One's eyes perked up in curiosity. The girl clearly had no idea what she was being given, but she was still a girl in her early teens; she couldn't help but get curious. "Your name."

"WH-?!" she began to scream, only to be stopped by the boy in front of her, who told her to shush. "I'm sorry. . . I lost myself for a moment. But how are we going-"

"Eighteen's father there is the head scientist. He was forced to put her here but he DID give her the blueprints," he explained, the person in question scuffing.

"Don't think I'm giving away my name now though. I'm doing this because I do admit I was wrong," she groaned, increasing the pace as King and One had to catch back up.

"Don't mind her, she's grumpy when she's wrong. If you want, I can give you MY name! It's-"

"Don't. We'll share them once I can give you mine," One dismissed, winking happily as she skipped towards Eighteen.

"Well, you're just becoming a beam of sunshine, aren't you?" King said under his breath, happy she was so taken by the gesture they were extending. At first he was afraid she hated them now, but hating herself would have been a much worse path. For once, all the begging towards Eighteen for her to go his way was bearable. He ran up to her and asked: "Well, what's your Esper?" he asked, One looking back at him, confused. "The Esper they infused you with when they sent you here. I've never seen anyone quite like you, and they normally infuse one Esper into ten people,"

"I-I don't know. . . I don't remember anything before living here. I've been here ever since I was born," One explained, the nagging feeling on the back of her head returning.

_I do, but I'm not telling!_ Ignoring her other self and focusing on appearing normal, she was greeted with a chuckle.

"So we're on the same boat, huh? Well, at least on the not knowing our source of power thing, Eighteen there has Shiva," the woman stopped and glared at King, who smiled back. "What? Was that off limits?" giving a large scuff, Eighteen stopped and pointed to the right.

"Let's just get in, get her files and leave," Eighteen said, calling King to help her remove the bars, the trio jumping in.

"This is a library?!" One asked, marveling at the massive shelves filled with all kinds books, tomes and scrolls.

"Aye, which reminds me. . . Cid'll cover up for us if a book vanishes, as long as it's not too important. Get one or two that fit your fancy while we look for your info, alright?" any and all thankfulness that One had was just crushed once the cold truth came down on her. Looking downwards and sniffing, she said:

"I-I can't read. . . they never told me how. Something about 'able to know too much'," she explained, softening both Kings AND EVEN Eighteen's expressions. Eighteen even started to move towards a particular shelf, her hand knowingly reaching out to a particular cover, massaging it before removing the quite old and thick book from the shelf. She moved in One's direction and handed it to her. The golden letters that adorned the cover read _The Tale of Tirion, The Ashbringer_.

"Everyone needs to start somewhere. This is my favorite book and I'll read it to you. We'll help you understand it all," she said in her supremely rare warm, motherly tone.

"I. . . I can't thank you enough!" she exclaimed, gripping onto the book with such joy someone would think they had just saved her unborn child.

"You don't need to. That's what friends are for, right?" King asked, One's lips curling and being bitten gently.

"Friends. . . I've heard about them," she whispered, clutching up to her book even more so.

"And now you have them. Tell you what, I'll help you pick another book while Eighteen goes through the records, okay?" he said, the blonde older woman nodding with the same caring smile as King touched One's arm and began leading her into another section of the library.

"Sooo. . . want to learn more about the world outside?" he asked, flinching a bit as he locked eyes with the large, boggled violet ones of the girl. He wondered how something so innocent could turn into. . . that.

"How?" she asked, to which Shin jumped, kicked one shelf to reach the highest of the shelves and pulled out a massive tome.

"THE Encyclopedia Natura. You'd be hard pressed to not find a non-extremely rare life form that isn't here," he explained, and One did not doubt it. The thing was easily four times bigger than her already quite large book. "And plus, this one was filled with illustrations, so we can use it to teach you what certain words mean!" he exclaimed, then stopping once he saw One divert his eyes away from him, saying nothing. "Anything wrong?"

"I'm just. . . speechless. I-I. . . nobody was ever this nice to me," she said, her eyes now sparkling with tears. King was not sure if he should feel happy or sad that he had made her cry out of joy, but he did the best thing he could think of. He put his arms around the girl's small and seemingly fragile body and held her as she let all the emotion pour out into his chest. "Thank you. . . just. . . I just. . ."

"Don't worry. We'll be here for you from now on," he promised, and he had all the will to keep it.

After a few minutes of emotional downpour, One finally calmed down, slowly removing herself from King's now completely wet chest and starting to mouth an apology, but she was silenced immediately.

"It's okay. Let's go meet with Eighteen," King said, a coughing sound telling him it may not need to be that way.

"That'll hardly be necessary," Eighteen said as she walked into them with a book. "I've got good news and bad news. Bad first, right?" she questioned, One nodding. She seemed to have lost all hope: "Well, the bad news is that I don't know what Esper is inside you One. . . or should I say-,"

**HoL:TS**

_I'ltorien  
J__uly 17, 2010_

"It's noon already. Wake up!"

"Christina!" King cried, almost propelling himself out of the bed he was in and head-butting someone or something.

"Dude! What?!" his lieutenant exclaimed, massaging his head while Cuore watched sitting on top of the table, dangling her legs and tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, I must ask, "Dude! What?!" Cuore mimicked in her emotionless but naïve voice.

"I. . . I was just having a dream. It felt so real though. . ." he whispered, wiping the cold sweat off of his forehead.

"A dream, huh? Oooooh, you've been dreaming of a girl? Who's her? Your secret love? Your crush? Are you going to elope?" he mocked, making dreamy poses as he did.

"No. . . nothing you need to know Tor. Now, move from the closet," King told his Lieutenant, who nodded as King slipped on his general attire. "I have. . . FIVE MINUTES?!" King screamed as he finished clothing, quickly telling Tor:

"You take care of her! I gotta order the patrol, present my case to Orlandeu, talk to the Emperor and I'll be back!" King exclaimed, bolting out the door as Tor feebly tried to stop him:

"But I. . . suck at babysitting," he looked back as the teal haired little girl looked at him in an expecting manner, all of her usual cold and otherworldly feelings being replaced by the curiosity of a little girl. "So what do you wanna do?"

King ran down his tower and through the gate of the castle, prepared to rush through town with all his might. He had to be at the gates for the change of the patrol schedule in four minutes or Eighteen would kill him. . . after he got demoted. At first, he did so, rushing through the plaza and until he reached the less populated, thinner streets, it was then that he saw a couple of thugs struggling with what seemed to be a lady in rags, fully covered up by a brown cloak.

"Yer a rare one, aren't'cha? Oh, we gun be rich!" one of the blokes said as he forcefully pulled the lady into an alleyway.

King cringed and cursed inwardly. Slave Trade. Something that, no matter how much he tried to warn the Emperor of, he just waved off as not-important. No actions were being held against it, and there was the result. "Gotta finish this fast!" King told himself, arm already glistening once he entered the alleyway, but as he did, he got blinded by a flash of light. Once it finished, he regained his eyesight and grabbed his sword, fearing they were magic-wielding-thugs. They weren't. Instead, both thugs now burned into a beautiful white flame with a blue center, the woman in rags seemingly observing him. Suddenly she stepped forward, King's brow starting to sweat like never before. Just who WAS this person?! Or better yet, WHAT was this person?

"I'm sorry Mam, but this isn't what it looks like. I was here to help you! Here, look at my uniform. I'm Gen-" he was interrupted as the woman's delicate lips moved.

"You have power. . ."

She touched her robe, removing the hood. Pale, straight green cascaded from it. And something much more telling. She wasn't human for sure. No. Her pointy ears stopped any and all doubts there. Her brown cloak then began to burn in the same white and blue flames, leaving not burning the person standing in front of him. She now was revealed and King saw that she wore a red dress that exposed some of her cleavage in a V-format, knit together by pinkish strands. Her high-heeled boots and gloves were much the same, with pink socks to contrast in the same way. Finally, her apparel ended with a pink sash around her waist, along with a matching small cape. Pale skin and amber eyes. Those ears, unfit for any human. Her hair, green and tied in a ponytail by pink sashes, with two large bangs reaching her shoulders and adorned by that truly unique Gold hair ornament with a red-jewel on the center. Was she. . .

". . . like mine."

**HoLTS**

_Radiant Garden  
July 22, 2010_

Riku watched his best friend take off from the ground, exiting the atmosphere, and going to search for new worlds. He somewhat envied Sora. All he had to do was stay behind and run around a few worlds, and all the same ones, too. He sighed and turned around, nearly knocking over a beautiful young woman in the process. Very young, must have been his age.

"Oh, sorry, my name's Alexia," she said, introducing herself. Riku took her hand and shook it. She was a little shorter than him, but not by much. She had silver hair just like his own, cut to conceal her right eye but reveal the left. Her visible eye was a dark and deep set purple, like amethyst. She had a cute smile, harmless and meaningful.

"Oh, it's okay, it was my fault," Riku explained, brushing his clothes. She giggled at him. He felt uneasy under her stature.

"Are you Riku?" she asked with sudden formality. This took him off-guard, and he returned the business tone.

"Yes, what about it?" he asked, turning to go back into Merlin's house. She followed.

"Leon sent me to get you and bring you inside, but it seems that you were already doing that," she explained. Riku sighed, wondering what Leon could want now and why he sent someone he didn't know. He pondered at this as he strolled on the pavement of Merlin's back lot. Most of the gang had walked into the house while he and Sora had shared their moment. He opened the door and found faces hurriedly avoid his gaze. Alexia followed on every step, a shadow.

He passed by the hushed conversations, the whispers. He understood that they were worried for his feelings, but he wished they wouldn't be. This was his battle and he would overcome it. He would overcome the darkness in him as well. He would do whatever it was that Leon wanted him to. He would do whatever it was that Mickey wanted him to. He would do it all, and he would do it perfectly.

And alone.

He ascended the stairs, Alexia still following him.

"Is it necessary for you to follow me?" he asked, slightly irritated. Footfalls echoed in the halls of Merlin's enchanted house.

"Yes," she answered curtly. "Leon has asked that I be there, as well."

"Great," he sarcastically breathed, turning onto the next flight of steps.

"Excuse me?" she asked, irritation laced upon her voice as well. Riku sighed.

"What?" he asked.

"What's your problem with me being here?" she asked vehemently.

"I like working alone," he replied simply. He could feel the tension spark between them. They arrived at the open door of Leon's conference room, the sun streaking in, illuminating it in brilliance. It was rather warm. Riku disregarded that once he saw who Leon was talking to.

"Mickey! What are you doing here?" he asked, striding forward and hugging the regal mouse. Mickey always released the soft side in Riku.

"I'm here on some business. Master Yen Sid agreed to make one more portal for me to come here. I want to tell you what it is you'll actually be doing," he explained squeakily. Riku took this pause to sit down and get comfortable. Alexia did the same.

"Now as you are well aware, Maleficent is back to bad habits and evil. She most certainly wants to rule the galaxy, but I don't know _how_ she will do this without Kingdom Hearts. That is a problem, but it isn't the one you'll be concerned with. That is for Sora to worry about as he seals Keyholes. No, you my friend, have a different task to do," Mickey said, shifting in his seat slightly to face him _and_ Alexia better.

"Riku, I want you to go to Twilight Town and Destiny Islands. On each of these worlds, you are to inform the mayors of the current situation. Also, you will begin to create an army. The resistance to Maleficent," he said in a very serious tone, eyes downcast and fierce, but hinted with anxiety and unknowing fear. Suddenly, Alexia shook, as if a cold-chill had run through her. She looked at them and giggled, instantly smiling again. Riku could have sworn that she had just replaced a look of fear. As if for a second.

"I know this may seem radical. But with or without Kingdom Hearts, she will amass her own forces and try to take over the worlds and everything we hold dear. So, you will be my precursor and start my, our army. The army that will defend the worlds, should anything go horribly wrong.

"You are to tell this to the mayors of Twilight Town and Destiny Islands. Once that is done, you are to find a single person of your choosing to lead the training of that world's inhabitants. I am leaving the choice entirely up to you. I believe you will make the right choice. Once that is done, report back here, where you will await further instructions. Now, if you will excuse me, Master Yen Sid needed to discuss something with me." And with that, the King walked through the magical door, and shut it, leaving nothing in its wake.

"Now, my turn," Leon said, leaning against a wall. He had been standing the entire time. "Riku, I am sending Alexia with you through this task to both accompany and help you. She will also be serving as a representative of Radiant Garden. I cannot always be available to the other worlds. Radiant Garden is undergoing many transformations. New districts are being added, the population is swelling exponentially, and that brings along countless headaches," Leon said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

_How could this get any better? _Riku thought sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and snarled very slightly, something that did not go unseen by Alexia. She turned to face him more directly.

"Is this going to be a problem with you?" she asked snappily. He looked sideways at her, disbelief wrought upon his face.

"What was the first hint? Perceptive aren't you?" He turned away. He instantly regretted what he said. He noted to apologize later. He was just in a foul mood because of Sora's departure. He was surprised when he didn't hear a retort come from Alexia. He glanced over and saw that she had looked away. Leon looked at them like they were children, and Riku silently agreed that they were acting immature. A tense minute passed.

"Well, if you two are finished, your brand new gummi ship is pulling in right now," Leon said, motioning outside to a landing gummi ship. Riku didn't need another word as he left the room. Alexia did the same. He walked to his guest room and grabbed his belongings, which weren't much. He only had spare clothes and a few valuables. Alexia was the same way as they bumped into each other in the hall. Neither said a word as they left the house. Again, the gang was there, waiting for the duo to leave.

"See ya guys, Riku said, not doing well with farewells. He saw Axel and the face he wore, depression printed on it. Riku felt like he had to say something. He approached Axel.

"Axel, everything is gonna be okay. Sora can take care of himself, and therefore Roxas will be fine," Riku assured. Axel looked at him with confusion and tad frustration.

"My name's not Axel. It's Lea," he said angrily.

"But we've been calling you Axel since we got here," Riku replied, confused.

"No you haven't. I don't know where the hell you got _Axel_ from, but that's not my name. Now leave me alone," he retorted, turning on his heel and going inside.

"Don't worry Riku, we're trying to figure it out, too," Yuffie said with a large grin. Riku brushed it off and walked to the gummi ship. Riku thought he would never see an awesome version of these. It defined him.

It was sleek, aerodynamic, and looked very fast. It had small cannons on the underside. A laser cannon, and a powerful one, was situated underneath in the middle. The back engines were smooth as well, yet powerful. It looked remarkable like a fighter jet from back home. It was black with white trimming on all accessories. Streaks and spider-webbed white cracks adorned the body for a pleasant look. In a defining red script, the name of the ship was clearly labeled. It's name was _Balmung_.

"My newest creation," Cid said, walking up from behind Riku.

"Thank you, Cid," Riku said gratefully, not knowing what else to say.

"Now, she's more powerful than she looks. I was finally able to find the perfect mix of high speed, tough defense, and firepower. She will get through any dogfights, asteroid belts, and just about anything else you come across. Her fuel is good, as she can go on for a long while. And with Merlin's expansion magic, the inside is like a house, nearly. You'll like it, I'm sure. It has the exact same layout as _Highwind_, so you should already be familiar with it. The only thing different is that there are two bedrooms instead of three. I did this to make her lighter, seeing as how there were only to be two of you kids. Now be careful. I think Alexia already knows how to pilot one, so she can teach ya." Riku was near speechless. He thanked Cid, said goodbye one last time to everyone, and entered the ship. He did _not_ like the fact that Alexia would have to teach him to pilot.

He made his way without thought to the bedrooms. Alexia had just exited from the left one, so Riku strolled over to the right one. It was the stock decorations, but he wasn't going to be like Kairi and change everything. He was okay with it as is. He dropped his stuff off in the room and left to meet Alexia in the cockpit. She was starting the ship up and he felt it rumble beneath his feet. He dashed to the co-pilot's seat and buckled in, not eager to relive the last experience. She paid him no mind as the ship shot through the sky at speeds that shamed the _Highwind_. Riku clutched to his chair.

"Now, this ship has auto-pilot, but I need to teach you everything. We have three days until we arrive at Twilight Town. So let's get started," she said orderly. Riku nodded and continued with her teachings.

**HoL:TS**

_In orbit of Twilight Town_

_July 25, 2010_

"So, what is his mission?" Maleficent asked, looking at Alexia with that piercing gaze. Even through a small seeing orb, she seemed so threatening.

In Alexia's small hands was a seeing orb. One of Maleficent's creations. In Maleficent's possession in the room Where Nothing Gathers was a very large seeing glass. Not only could Maleficent use this to spy on anything she wanted, if it were accessible, but she could use it like a phone with the smaller seeing orbs.

Alexia had had a bad couple days on the Balmung. Riku was very intolerant and she disliked him very much. Maleficent had warned her that Riku was stubborn and not easy to get along with. Alexia had also been very nervous, pondering about this army King Mickey was wanting to put together. This could stop Maleficent, and Alexia needed her.

Over the past couple days, Riku had learned to pilot, and every now and then, he went, turned the auto-pilot off and did it on his own. He also trained a lot in the simulators. This also worried Alexia because that meant he would become a formidable opponent, as opposed to how powerful he already was. She trained a couple times, but he always scoffed and refused to train with her. She tried so that she could study his form and style. But he was stubborn, and she nearly detested him. And it was no secret that he did not like her.

She brought her attention back to Maleficent.

"Well, King Mickey has given orders to Riku. . ." She then proceeded to tell Maleficent all about the small conference and the suspicions that King Mickey held. When it was all said and done, Maleficent was actually surprised.

"His Majesty is much more perceptive than I give him credit for. I will not make that mistake again. Remember Alexia, never underestimate your foes. That is folly. Also, as for this army. I have no worries. Once I acquire Kingdom Hearts I will rule all with unsuppressed, immeasurable power!" she exclaimed, bursting into high pitched laughter.

"But what of Kairi? She will not be easy to obtain. She is learning from Sora, and she will be extremely guarded," Alexia said.

"Ah, as for that. I have plans in my mind, no need to worry," Maleficent stated in a cruel and sick voice, malice dripping from her tongue. Alexia shivered at the sudden change in her voice.

"Anyway, Alexia. You have done a good job. Report to me once you leave Twilight Town and do be careful. Riku is also a perceptive person," Maleficent praised.

"Thank you," Alexia said, bowing her head.

"Ah, if it isn't Kefka and his brother—" and then the transmission cut off, the orb becoming a regular glass sphere until its next use.

It was very early in the morning. The ship would arrive soon, so Alexia went to lay down for a few hours before arrival. Riku slept through their entire conversation, unaware.

**HoL:TS**

_Twilight Town  
__July 25, 2010_

Riku was surprised at how a world could be comprised of just a town. But then he had to marvel at how his own was just a few islands. That's why there was a world order. It would create a panic. Or so he thought as he and Alexia walked their way to the mayor's office. They turned through the alleys and streets of the town, running into a lot of the teens of the village. The atmosphere never changed. It was an endless sunset. No morning, night, nothing. Always a reddish, ruddy glow casting all the brick into deep shadows, flared with life. They approached the mayor's office and walked in. They requested to speak with him and were ushered into his office.

Mr. Blake Lipner, mayor of Twilight Town, greeted them warmly into his office. They sat down in the room, adorned with books, certificates, and many papers. He sat across from them, behind his desk of course. He was a portly man, with round and chubby cheeks, patched with dark red. Hie was balding, his hair that actually remained a stark white. He had a funny curly mustache and a small goatee. He intertwined his fingers of her large belly, his tweed suit nearly bursting.

"So," he said in a gruff, but kindly voice, "what can I do for you two?" Alexia looked at Riku, and he supposed that meant it was for him to tell the Mayor. After much discussing, trading pleasantries and politics back and forth, the mayor leaned back in his groaning chair.

"Well, this all seems to be in order. We do have an agreement with His Majesty stating that we would help should anything like this. Okay, we can supply our own gear for the time being, for training purposes. I'll leave it up to you and I'll inform the town with a meeting later this week. Should you need to stay the night and restock for the trip to Destiny Islands, we shall provide," he offered.

"No, that's okay, Mr. Lipner," Alexia responded. "We can sleep in our gummi ship," Riku said after her.

"Well then it's settled. You two have at it! Just tell the chosen leader to report to me later, okay?" And with that, Riku exited the town hall, followed closely by Alexia. They saw a throng of teens pass by quickly, all heading in the same direction. With no other leads or ideas, they followed down to what looked like a sandlot of sorts.

"Ah, so this must be what Sora meant by a 'Struggle Tournament'," Riku said as he and Alexia beheld none other than a Struggle Battle. The final to be exact, and it had just ended. The announcer boomed into the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! We have our new champion! Winning for yet another time, is leader of the town Disciplinary Committee, SEIFER!" Riku peeked his head above the crowd and saw a young man, about his age, maybe a bit older, hoist both a trophy and belt into the air, glee on his face. Retreating from the ring was a man, easily in his late twenties, wearing a police-esque uniform and clutching his side painfully. _Did that kid just beat that cop's ass?_ Riku thought in silent wonder.

"Yes, yes, ladies. He is a powerhouse. He has only lost twice. Once to legendary Setzer and another time to a boy named Sora. . ." Riku chuckled to himself. It figured. But, seeming as only this man named Setzer and Sora could only beat him, then this sounded like the man for the job. Riku made his way through the crowd to Seifer.

"Seifer, you're just great, ya know?" a burly man said, clapping Seifer on the back.

"Spectacular," some girl said, short and to the point. A little. . . something, shrouded in cloaks, a hat, and shadowy face, cheered for him. Riku approached him.

"Excuse me, are you Seifer?" Riku asked. The boy turned and looked at him with a smirk.

"Sorry, I'm not signing autographs," he replied cockily.

"I wasn't asking for one," Riku replied. Seifer raised an eyebrow.

"Then what do you want, stranger? And I don't like strangers," he said.

"Seems so. The last one that strolled through kicked your ass," Riku said with his own tight lipped smirk.

"Sora? Do you know him?" Seifer asked, real curiosity showing.

"Yeah. We grew up together, but that's not why I'm here. Let's go sit down, this will take some time," Riku said, motioning them to a nearby table. And so, Riku and Alexia explained all they could, telling Seifer all about the army and that he needed to train them, seeing as he was the most able to do this successfully.

"And so we've picked you, seeing as how you are best suited," Riku said.

"Well isn't this romantic?" he asked sarcastically with a smile. "Yeah, I'll do it. Hayner's gonna get his panties in a wad over this." His little gang laughed at that.

"Okay, well you need to start as soon as possible. We never know when she will attack. Can we trust you?" Alexia asked.

"Yeah. I'll shape every single soul in this town. I'll make them true fighters before you all know it," Seifer said.

"Yeah, he's great, ya know?" the man who they learned was Rai, said.

"Phenomenal," Fuu stated.

"Great. The King sends his thanks," Riku told them. He stood up with Alexia and they beamed back to their ship.

"How long until Destiny Islands?" Riku asked, excited to back home, even if for a night or so.

"Three to four days," Alexia answered, setting the auto-pilot. The ship took off as they went to the kitchen to make themselves dinner.

**HoL:TS**

_Destiny Islands  
__July 29, 2010_

The time spent traveling to Destiny Islands was focused on training. Riku let Alexia train with him and he learned real quick that she was powerful. She was not as good as him at melee, but she could hold her own, that's for sure. But he also had learned that she was a powerful mage as well. They were just about equal. And she used both at the same time with the special staff of hers. They were still not on good terms with each other and he still wanted to work alone, but he was growing tolerant of her. She seemed to be doing the same. But given the chance, should it ever show itself, he would work on his own in a heartbeat. He didn't need her.

He never would need her.

After visiting his family and Abigail, they told Kairi's dad all about what King Mickey told them, just like Mayor Lipner. He nodded in understanding.

"Okay, Riku. I trust ya, son. Just get someone that knows their stuff," David said, putting a strong hand on Riku's shoulder. Riku thanked him and left with Alexia, knowing the perfect person.

**HoL:TS**

"Hey, Tidus!" Riku shouted over the wind, kicking sand as he and Alexia walked on the play islet. Even as adults, or nearly adults, the gang still played on the islet.

"Riku! You're back!" Tidus shouted, forgetting all about his duel with Wakka. Wakka followed a running Tidus, Selphie trotting behind; she had been spectating. The others noticed Riku and followed as well. Before he knew it, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Morgan, Robin, Catherine, Lucy, Jake and Sophia were in front if him, all smiles and all questions. He finally quieted them down with a smile on his face.

"Guys, calm down. I can't stay. I'm here on business," he told them. The smiles dimmed a bit, but they listened. He told them everything he told the mayors and Seifer. It was like a well rehearsed story. He then got to the part he really needed to tell them.

"Well, the soldiers-in-training here on Destiny Islands will be you, Tidus. Will you do it?" Riku asked. Tidus looked taken aback, shock stricken across his face. He then shook his golden spikes and smiled radiantly.

"Yeah, man! Of course I will!" he replied energetically. Riku sighed in relief. Tidus may be overactive and distracted with girls all the time, but he was loyal and wouldn't let him down.

"Thanks, bro. It's really gonna help us out. You need to start as quickly as you can. David is gonna supply all the equipment necessary for training. Make good use of the simulators at the Academy. I'll see you when I next can and good luck, man," Riku said. There were a bunch of goodbyes as Riku and Alexia beamed up to Balmung ready to return to Radiant Garden, another three to four day trip.

**HoL:TS**

_Radiant Garden  
__August 2, 2010_

Riku now tolerated Alexia. Being forced to be with her for a couple of weeks straight, and only her, made him lighten up a bit. She had done the same. She acted odd every now and then. She told him that her room was strictly off limits, but he figured most girls would have been like that. They had trained together some more, and had even had a chuckle together. It had been awkward and they went back to tolerating each other and rarely speaking to one another. Now they sat in Leon's office again.

"Well done, you two. This will make His Majesty very happy. Now we have the beginnings of an army. Now we have something to combat Maleficent with in the future. Thank you for your assistance, Alexia. I knew I could trust you," Leon said, a rare smile showing.

"Always loyal," she replied with a wide smile.

"As for now, I ant you two to help in the restoration of Radiant Garden. Also, you may help in the building of the new districts. Rest today and start tomorrow until given different instructions. It may be a week or two before King Mickey says anything," Leon explained.

Riku stood up, and nodded to Leon, before making his way to his guest room. He was stopped by Alexia with his hand right on the doorknob.

"Sorry about how we started things," she told him meekly. He looked down at her with silent wonder. He was quiet for a moment, the he stretched his hand out. She took it with a small smile.

"I am, too. Let's try again next time we work together," he said.

_ Which I do not want to happen._

**HoL:TS**

_Radiant Garden  
__August 2, 2010_

"I am, too. Let's try again next time we work together," he told her. He then turned into his room and closed the door. She walked into her own. That night she would contact Maleficent and report to her again.

"What a gullible fool. I can't believe he fell for that," she said to the empty room, slightly giggling. She stopped. She just felt so alone here. But hadn't she her whole life? She had always been alone. Ostracized.

_ By them._

_ The outside world._

She went and laid on her bed, frowning, feeling the tears try to break through. That feeling in her chest appeared like an old friend, ironic. . . That horrible feeling everyone feels when distraught. The loss of a loved one. That yearning to be with your lover, when they are away from you. That feeling right where the heart pumped blood through the body. Emotion. It was a fickle thing. And it loved to toy with Alexia, and everything she had ever known. The first tear leaked from her purple eyes. It streaked her rosy cheek and fell onto the linen. Her hair splayed out. The emotion was taking over, grabbing a hold. She would lose this battle.

_Maybe,_ she thought,_ in a different reality. Maybe then, I could have a friend._

That night she cried herself to sleep, forgetting all about Maleficent.

* * *

NOTE:

Tor is not TN. Tor and TorNathan have nothing to do with each other.

TN: Tor is an OC I made years ago and I have grown close to him. Hence why he is part of my pen name. So I want you all to know that Tor is NOT a representation of myself in any way.

TN: Also. Remember this chapter was more for plot than character. Chapter 10 will have MUCH more character in it.

* * *

TUH: I can hear the angry crowd.

TN: I heard them before it was even written.

TUH: I will sleep soundly today.

TN: Let's just hope that when they read THAT THING next chapter, that they won't kill us. . .

TUH: I'm used to death-threats.

TN: Well I'm not. Let Anuwëy protect us.

May the love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	10. The Garden Asunder

TN: Hey guys! Chapter 10 already? Well, I want to say a little something before we kick it off!

* * *

**WARNING!  
WARNING!**

Within this chapter, there is a small section that contains very graphic material that pushes the T rating very far, venturing into the M realm. We, as in TN and TUH, have agreed that this section was necessary, though we did not like it. We like what it brings to the character. Please be lenient on this section. Please do not hate us. We hope that you can find the necessity in the piece. And try to enjoy the chapter!

**WARNING!  
WARNING!**

* * *

TUH: I'm still feeling a bit insane from writing her.

TN: I feel off just from reading her.

TUH: *Chews on top hat* I know, right?

TN: Speaking of chewing (my fingernails right now), I'm really worried yet extremely anxious for that section in this chapter. . .

TUH: Repressing memories in three, two, one. . .

TN: Yeah, well, I have nothing else to say. Are you ready for the possible backlash?

TUH: Possible? Inevitable

TN: Well, here we go. . .

Sora: They own nothing but the plot and their characters.

* * *

**Chapter X**

**The Garden Asunder**

_I'ltorien  
__July 18, 2010_

"She hasn't woken up yet and it's been more than a day, I'm calling this deal off!" a gruff, battle-scarred voice exclaimed, for the first time in what seemed like forever making One's eardrums transfer their information into her brain, awakening her from her deep slumber. Opening her eyes she was met with a wooden ceiling. A quick search around yielded the discovery of a window where various leaves almost entered and another bed on the opposite side of the room. The same kind of bed she was now. . .

"How am I. . ." One first said, remembering the past events. She had fought a Yian Garuga to the death and had gotten poisoned. . . then someone had saved her. "Is this her home?" she asked, the conversation moving on the outside.

"But Tiiiiiibs! She got shanked by a Yiaaaan!" the same voice that had saved her shouted childishly. One was still trying to realize if she was a girl or a woman, but as soon as she found the open door to the outside, she saw the owners of the voices. The woman was there, her hair was strange; it was a mix of red and pink. She even questioned to herself if that hair was even natural. It was tied in a braid, falling over her right shoulder and VERY long, touching her waist. She wore a detailed robe, filled with different figures of violet and gold. To make her look even more wise and solemn, she was wearing a gold tiara with a small ruby on the center, one that branched out on the back of her head. Yet, there was something that quickly caught One's attention. Her ears? Pointy. And while the clothing did a good job at tricking you, her expression didn't. She was pouting with her cheeks all swollen, blue eyes eying the man in front of her with childish anger while she rotated her arms, trying to slap him, being less than successful as he easily weaved around the slaps.

"Your point? Let the beorc boy carry her. I'm not going to have whatever she is in my part of the forest any longer. My tribe has felt uneasy ever since you set foot in the town with her," the black haired man said. He had covered his forehead with a red headband, used a thorn green coat that left his chest in the open, complete with coat tails, bandages on his forearms, a red sash extending from his golden buckled belt and a light, teal set of trouser. But that was hardly the distinguishable characteristic. He most importantly possessed spiked ears and a giant, majestic pair of brown wings, whose color was lighter on the edges. Yes. Wings. He had them. In short he was badass, VERY badass. What? He was.

Of course, this would be something One wondered about. . . if she wasn't greeted with this marvelous comment.

"Whatever she is, she's no beorc, she's no Laguz, and she's no elf. She's an Imperial Weapon that represents just why we're stuck in this forest and I don't want my tribe to be associated with her," One's entire world almost went black at the bluntness of the comment. . . but also as to how logical it was. That had been the worst part of it. She could not say no to what he had just said because, deep down, she believed it, even if she didn't know what half the names there meant. However, this had the complete opposite reaction on the woman with the blue eyes. They suddenly went straight amber as she pulled her hand back once more, THIS slap connecting so hard One heard the sound of a jaw dislodging.

"Don't you dare speak of that little girl like that Tibarn. She's walked through hell and back already, no need for you to lay spikes on her bedside," she seethed, her words like the flames she had used to burn the Garuga into a crisp. The man seemed to be genuinely taken aback and dare I say, afraid of what was to happen.

Despite his comments though, One's last desire was for anyone to get hurt, so she said:

"Hello?" to draw their attention. The woman snapped her neck to the side in a way you'd almost believe she disjointed it before having her amber eyes boggle and turn back to normal.

"Oh, you poor girl!" she exclaimed, rushing towards One and pulling her into a tight hug. "Don't mind Tibbs, he's a prick when he puts his feathery head up his a-"

"Watch your mouth, you're still in my tribe," Tibarn sounded much less awe inspiring adjusting his jaw back into a useable position, but he still made a point.

"You were still pretty mean," the woman pouted back, to which the bird-man crossed his bandaged arms and turned to say:

"My brothers and sisters were slaughtered by people that would go to create her. Do not think she'll be welcomed by any of the forest dwellers," Tibarn replied, not looking directly into her eyes.

"Pft, you guys and your grudges. . ." she dismissed, flicking her fingers, which somehow made a large lollipop appear in her hand. "Want one?" she casually asked One, who was simply speechless. "Okay, here, apple, your favorite!" she exclaimed, willing another of the treats unto existence and giving it to One.

"How-"One began.

"Oh that? I read your mind when you were asleep," she said, expression unchanging, as if she had not said anything creepy, invasive, dangerous, to name a few. She took two licks of the lollipop and noticed One's shocked expression: "What?"

"Y-you. . . what did you see?!" One demanded, a mix of fury and fear grabbing her. She was furious at someone prodding so deep into her, but she was more afraid of what this unknown person would know about her now. Her expectations were sorely met once the woman lost her carefree expression for the second time.

"Far more than what I wanted to have seen. . ." she said gloomily, before suddenly jolting back into her normal persona, biting the lollipop off in the process. "But anyway, we're done with that mumbo-jumbo. I'm Merlina Magus, your organization's ambassador in The Mìelthrì Forest. I was just walking around the forest, minding my own business, smoking my chocolate cigar. . . more like eating it. Smoke tastes blerg. . . I'm getting off track, aren't I? Where was I?" One could only stand in shock at the person, wondering if this was normal. Bad choice of words. Still, Tibarn had rolled his eyes at the display, so apparently it was. "Oh, right, right, riiiiiiiight! Okay, I was walking around the forest, looking for Princess Whatever-her-name when I found you about to get eaten by a giant chicken. Then a voice in my head said _Wait a minute. . . aren't humans supposed to EAT chickens?!_ soooo I fried it!" she exclaimed, extending her arms as if she had just told the whole story. Moments passed before she then spit out: "Oh and I healed you of that poison and brought you here, saving your life, you're welcome sweetie!" so fast One again had to take a few moments to get it all in her head. "Chicken tasted great though. I saved some for you to try at home."

"Speaking of home. . . ULKI! GET THE BEORC BOY TO THE ENTRANCE!" Tibarn shouted to the treetops. "You're going home," he told One without any emotion, apart from distaste and maybe even disgust.

"Tibbs…" Merlina began, but the man had already left the house.

"Just get her there. I'll take her home myself. I doubt any of my tribe would hold back their talons like I will," he told Merlina, sounding less than threatening for the first time since One had awakened. Not nice, but he didn't seem to be after her neck for once. And with that, he jumped out, batting his wings and disappearing through the foliage.

"Don't mind him too much. . . the Serenes Massacre still looms over his wings," Merlina began, looking at one. "This forest once used to be three times as big, yes, three times. But sometime ago, when the Emperor ascended, he deemed it so his Empire needed more land. He burned the forest down, slaughtering any 'sub-human' that tried to stop it. Eventually, Tibarn's tribe of Hawk Laguz, along with others had to run to the deepest parts of Mìelthrì for solace in the elves. The Emperor wouldn't be sufficiently insane to mess with elves, so he deterred himself from entering their sanctum. Tibarn and the other leaders have never trusted someone from the outside since. Outside of me that is," Merlina told One, who covered her hands in shock. No wonder he had been so aggressive towards her. . . even if unjustified, it must bring back nightmares that he wants dead.

"Walk with me, will you?" Merlina began, snapping her fingers. One suddenly lost all sense of direction as colors shone around her, soon finding herself near a tree trunk. It took a moment for One to realize she had just been teleported. Looking around she saw the shocked gazes of Hawk Laguz, all of them with the same wings as their leader, staring at her with both hatred and fear. This was their village, their last sanctum, and she represented what had torn down their last one. "You see, Laguz are a special breed of humans. They are much like us in every way mentally, but they have a special gift. They both possess some part of an animal, as Hawk Wings, as well as the ability to completely morph into one of those animals. Fascinating, aren't they?" this information changed One's perspective completely.

"So all those hawks flying around are. . ." she had noticed some particularly large birds just flying around her, a somewhat strange sense of awareness glinting in their eyes.

"All Laguz." Suddenly, one of them exploded in a flash of green and turned into a female in her twenties, completely proving Merlina right. One gawked in awe. This was beyond any story she had read. An entire tribe of fascinating hawk-people that lived in treetop houses. What more could the outside world give her? "But as you most certainly realize, humans don't tend to deal with 'new' and 'strange' well. Long story short, Laguz and Beorc, as they call humans, have remained on their own turfs for as long as there is written history. . . then you know the rest," she explained, One nodding. "I'm here to ease the tensions between Laguz and Beorc, as well as elves, to try and get them to help us against the Empire. We all hate it as it is, so that single point has been key for our efforts. As much as I dislike treating you like this, you'd better get out before some of them snap and do something that will affect both you and the race's relationship." One understood what Merlina was implying. She was no stranger to murder, she knew she was being targeted as they spoke. At least three of the males and two of the females wanted blood. She could feel it in their gazes. Suddenly, Merlina stopped. "Shhhh, get over here!" she pulled One behind a tree and looked on.

One couldn't help to notice an elaborate, magnificent ring whose surface seemed to shine in the form of dancing flames. Her eyesight was completely taken by it, and her whole body longed to touch it. However, just as her hand started to strive for the ring:

"Just get a load of this!" Merlina exclaimed, grabbing her by the head and pulling her in.

"You seemed quite wanting of fighting my tribe's people. Why's that?" Tibarn asked Ike, curiosity in his voice. He didn't seem to distrust Ike per say, even if he didn't show trust, he seemed simply curious.

"It's not every day you find an entirely new species. You can learn just about anything with that kind of potential. You guys must have some amazing battle secrets to go with your forms. Besides, you were strong, I like being challenged. Not much more there is to it. It was a learning experience, and I'd do it again if I ever found myself here," Ike told Tibarn bluntly, seemingly fully frontal and honest about it. Tibarn at first looked shocked, but then chuckled for a moment before bellowing in laughter.

"I never thought I'd say it, but I like your style Beorc! If you ever end up close by again, let's have a bout. I'd love to see how your styles changed in the past one hundred years!" he exclaimed heartily. One was surprised at the mention of the time span, but not that much, it was another race altogether.

"Daw, Tibby-wibby found a friend!" Merlina exclaimed, hopping from her hiding spot and dragging One with her. "And a beorc too!"

"I have to ask, why call us Beorc? Why not human?" Ike questioned, Tibarn laughing again.

"If you want me to insult you, I'll do it. Human is used as an insult around these parts. As Subhuman is around yours!" Tibarn explained, Ike and One nodding. "Well, for once, I'm in a good mood, somehow. Just don't ruin it girl!" he told One with no malice, Ike seemed to have upped his spirit enough. He then slammed his bandaged fist together and squaked, exploding in green energy, in his place appearing a gigantic Hawk, easily three times as big as Ike from wing to wing, sharing the coloration with the wings on the back of Tibarn, a mixture of green and brown. "Get on. We soar!" the bird told One and Ike, who complied by getting onto its brown feathery back, which seemed to be large enough for two people easily.

"Oh! Almost forgot! One, be a dear and give this to my hubby!" Merlina exclaimed, handing One a pink letter with a kiss mark on it. "Just ask anyone for my hubby and they'll tell you. And this is for my Gramps. . . if you ever get a hold of an airship that is. Just bring it with you, you may just find Grampa Merlin!" and again, another letter, this one blue and addressed to Merlin from 'The worlds' bestest grandaughty!' "Arri,Arri,Arrivedeci!" she exclaimed, waving all the while as Tibarn flew like a missile into foliage and then the blue sky. "And now, to go and further this world's plot. . ."

Not more than ten minutes had passed before they had left the forest and were met with the large plains that lead to the mountain valley. One and Ike expected a safe, quick journey, but yet. . . Tibarn started losing altitude. Were they too heavy?

"What's the problem?" Ike asked. Tibarn remained silent. He landed and nudged them off before transforming back into human form. Turning to One and Ike, his expression was far more serious. Not threatening, just stone cold serious.

"One. . . was it?" he asked the girl, a chill running up her spine as to how imposing his tone was. A true king's voice.

"I need an answer, and depending on what it is, I may or may not have to kill you."

**HoL:TS**

_Radiant Garden  
__August 9, 2010_

Riku jumped to the side of a tall, marble beam, nearly being crushed with two tons of steel. The metal met the concrete and cracked it with a loud clang, clashing ringing in his ears. He scraped his tanned elbow as he dodged and felt the sweat he had worked up seep into it, stinging the muscle. He cursed on the inside as he swiveled his head—covered with a construction hat—and looked up on the scaffolding above him.

"Watch what the hell you're doing!" he shouted up at the much older workers standing up on it. They said nothing but scoffed at him, seeing him as just an angst filled teen. Well, they'd be angry too if they had nearly died. He rolled his eyes and turned around, walking away as they reassembled the load.

For the past week, he and Alexia had been working and doing errands all around Radiant Garden. Riku had seen her only a few times outside of Merlin's house. When she was out and about, she was usually helping organize all the new trafficking and commerce. The trading and traveling was booming, and she had a great mind for organization as it turned out. And what did that mean for Riku? That meant he had to go and work on building the new districts. Districts one thru five had been built prior to their arrival. He was now working in eight while six and seven were also undergoing construction. He had been working here for the last week, busting his ass and working his muscles. At least it was keeping him fit.

He shrugged away, telling his "boss" that he would be back after a few minutes. His boss never questioned him because he knew who Riku was and how important he was. Riku discarded his hard hat and shook the droplets of sweat from his silver-lilac hair, feeling the cool wind flow through it. He leaned on the balcony of the bluff, over looking a giant drop into a ravine. He looked as people crossed the bridge that expanded over it, people walking between the unfinished districts. He spotted a girl with black hair and felt his heart pick up a tad. He had always had a thing for raven-haired women when. . .

"Hey, Riku!" He turned to see Alexia walking towards him in her new adventuring outfit. They had been paid handsomely for not only working on the restoration of the Garden, but for their unique work for the King. She had bought many needed clothes and he had bought himself some as well. He had kept the same adventuring outfit, but was wearing some regular shorts right now and a white tank-top to battle the heat of working.

"Yeah, what is it," he replied, stretching his worn out muscles.

"We need to go on another trip. His Majesty sent a letter explaining for us to revisit the worlds and see how they're going," she explained. Perfect timing, too. It was about eight in the morning.

"Well, okay. Let's meet at Merlin's," he said, grabbing his things and following her, but keeping to himself.

After a refreshing and cool showering, he dressed in his old adventuring outfit, which seemed like brand new because of Merlin's magic. He had refreshed and repaired it, giving it some abilities to repair itself with minor damages. Riku grabbed some extra assortments and met Alexia in Balmung outside. They took off, heading for Twilight Town.

**HoL:TS**

_Aboard the Balmung  
__August 10, 2010_

"Didn't you stock anything _different_?" Alexia asked Riku, searching through the walk-in pantry. He may have been fine with eating the same things every time, but she at least wanted some diversity, seeing as it was all provided.

"Yeah, so what?" he answered through a mouthful of spaghetti.

"And where are your manners?" she asked in slight disgust, settling on some hamburgers and fries, keeping it very original.

"You should see Sora. . ." he said, leaving the thought hanging as he finished up and washed his dishes. "I'll be training. Join me later, if you want." She planned to.

After about fifteen minutes, she grabbed her customized Naginata. It had been hard for the smithy to make it, but she enjoyed having her sword separate from the staff, making it two weapons instead of one. Magic and melee at once? That was her favorite, seeing as how she was equal in both. Her only problem was that she couldn't do white magic. She had to rely on potions to heal her, assuming the enemy could harm her.

She strolled into the Tron styled room, the non-dangerous one, finding Riku fighting something which resembled goblins. He ended the simulation and set it to a higher difficulty. He didn't need her telling him to do so. They may have disliked each other a first, and now barely tolerated each other, but they "clicked" well together. This was shown when they fought, for they thought the same things and worked well together.

"Ready?" he asked.

"You bet," she responded.

The steel room darkened once more, and then flashed to a dazzling light. They stood atop a bluff, overlooking a sheer cliff face. Opposite the drop were many caves, shadowy and menacing. This was a new simulation. She readied her long Naginata, thrusting it out from her as Riku flashed his Keyblade.

"Riku?" she asked cautiously as some unholy sound came from one of the caves in the hillside.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"What're in those caves?" she asked.

"Well, I punched in random creatures," Riku answered. She gulped.

"Okay, but how many?" she asked.

"Until we die," he said, smiling.

"Great, just great, Riku." Another roar sounded and some crashing, then the first one emerged. A long and slithering Anaconda made its way into the sun, followed closely by a Clay Golem. Then, some Chimeras and some Dark Flans followed. Soon, many beasts were swarming. Riku wasted no time by rushing toward them, blazing his sword with fire and killing.

She strode forward, and dodged a lunge from the massive anaconda, rolling away and bringing her naginata up with a swift stroke, beheading the snake. It faded away as she backpedaled from the Rock Golem. It was advancing and trying to smash her. She jumped to the sides and rolled, knowing her naginata wouldn't do anything. She cast some spells and obliterated it, simple as that.

And so, they trained for a couple of hours, but the numbers and difficulty became too much before a pincer pierced Riku's heart, killing him and Alexia was burned alive. They re-spawned like a video game in the main room, the steel back again.

"Good job," she said admiringly to him, finding herself rather tired. He grunted before walking away. She paid it no mind as she left and went to her room. She picked out a new pair of pajamas, walked into the cool bathroom, stripped, and took a long and refreshing hot shower. They would be at Twilight Town in a couple days, and she would have to report to Maleficent.

But she was a bit worried. Riku was getting better at fighting, and that was a bad thing. She walked to her bedroom and took a cool shower. Afterward, she found her sphere and tried to contact Maleficent. After a few minutes, she was connected.

"Ah, Alexia. How go things with Riku?" she asked. Diablo cawed on her shoulder.

"They are going well. He is still oblivious to your plans. But, he is growing stronger. Your threat has made him train harder every day. If this keeps up, he will be most formidable," Alexia explained.

"That is nothing to worry about," Maleficent assured, stroking her pet crow, the dark

**HoL:TS**

_Twilight Town  
__August 12, 2010_

"What the hell was that, Hayner? If you let your guard down like that when the Heartless attack, you will die for sure! Now, try again!" Seifer shouted at Hayner. Riku smiled at how he was handling the teens and even the adults of this world. They were all clad in either light or heavy armor, depending on their choice. It looked like the majority of the fighters were warriors, choosing melee. Hayner was one of them. Riku had met many of the teens this morning and afternoon. The ones that were Sora's friends were Hayner, Pence and Olette. Pence was a mage as was Olette. Seifer had picked to be proficient in melee, but was skilled in magic somewhat. Vivi had taken over on helping with magic, even outfitting the trainees in proper mage equipment. Fuu was assigned to help with ranged weaponry while Rai was taking care of the defensive aspects on all branches.

There were many people for this part of Mickey's army. Riku had seen the list and there were about one thousand people within Twilight Town learning under the four teens. He was astonished. He would never had believed that many people lived here, let alone the ones that didn't sign up. He looked over at Alexia and thought he saw a nervous look on her face, but as soon as it was there, it was gone.

Riku walked up to a struggling Hayner, fighting some other boy in a duel. They were wearing light armor and using wooden swords for now. Hayner was having a difficult time blocking but was doing well with offense. It seemed as though Seifer was overlooking all of Hayner's good moments and just reprimanding him over everything else. Riku knew instantly that they had to be rivals, then. A large horn rang out. People stopped what they were doing and scattered in all directions in the encampment that they were in. Many of them heading to three buildings meant for storing the gear.

"You seem to have things under way," Riku said with a small and rare smile. Seifer smirked and thanked him.

"It's not been easy. For every decent trainee there are ten that are garbage. It will take forever to train them properly," he explained to them.

"Totally," Fuu said, appearing from a passing crowd of teens. Rai made his way through, as well.

"Yeah we're all doing our best, but not like Seifer, ya know?" he said, annoyingly as usual. Then the little kid Vivi ran his way over, his hat flopping around.

"The mages are doing well," he said in a hyper voice. Seifer smiled down at him,

"That's because they have a great mage teaching them," he praised, lifting the child's mood. Riku looked around at all the commotion and saw four teens make their way over to the group. There were two girls and two guys.

"Riku, this is Haley, Mary, Don, and Gary. They are our leading trainees," Seifer said, indicating each.

Haley was obviously a mage. She still had her equipment like the other three. What could be seen of her features was black hair and blue eyes. Her counterpart, and later to be known sister, Mary, was a ranger. She had red hair with green eyes. She was very pale and smiled a lot. Don and Gary were twins, both tall and lanky. They were warriors. Don hid his gray eyes and black hair underneath a heavy helm. His longsword was sheathed at his side. Gary rested his lance on his shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you all," Riku said, shaking each teen's hand. Alexia met with them as well as Seifer continued explaining all the details. They began walking around the hastily built encampment.

"We are doing well on supplies, members, anything you can name. The only thing we have a problem with is just teaching. It's hectic. We need more help. The four of us can't do it all," Seifer explained.

"Well," Riku began, stroking his chin, "take the best trainees you have, and more than just those four. Take the best, say, fifty, and have them help. Sort of like captains, per se." Seifer looked to consider this as Riku and Alexia inspected the buildings and grounds.

Their feet stomped on brown reeds, dying and falling under the conditions. The sun still set, as ever, and the air was vibrant. Large pavilions were constricted around the entire area in the plains. Some were medical, one was a mess hall, others were lavatories. The area was outfitted for training at its best. The wind rustled their hair, the breeze whispering secrets.

Boys, as young as thirteen, walked by in only their shorts, sweat glistening on their torsos. The hot air pressed against them as they made their ways home. Girls did the same, more discreetly, but they were just as pushed. Hundreds filed by, ready for another day of intense training. Another day to battle Maleficent at any time. Riku turned and faced Seifer.

"Okay, we should be able to do that. But one more question," Seifer said, his voice becoming more edgy. Riku looked at him sternly.

"What is it?" he responded quickly.

"Will we be leaving? Will we be going away from the only homes we've ever known? Will we never return?" Riku stood there, looking down at the ground and rubbing his head. There was silence among the wind, and an icy tension. Riku remembered some of the words Mickey had told him. He looked back up at Seifer and the other residents of Twilight Town. Honesty was the best, Sora once told him.

Riku couldn't find the words, but a slow nod said everything and more.

**HoL:TS**

_Aboard the Balmung  
__August 15, 2010_

"So what was your home like?" Riku asked, picking at his nail while sitting on the soft and delicate mattress of his room. Alexia was sitting in a plush chair, reclining her feet out, toes in the air.

"It was cold, wet, and crisp. It had the most beautiful of autumns and the harshest of winters. But I loved it there, maybe for the same reason you love the Islands. The ocean," she explained to him. He remembered how much he would love just to stare out at sea and think. He thought about many philosophical ideas and "what ifs". And his thinking never led him astray. There _were_ other worlds, and he was talking to one of those inhabitants now.

"Well, you've already seen my home, so there's nothing much else to say. I lost my parents, too," he told her, remembering how she had told him that they died recently. He felt like he had truly connected with her and experienced something one in the same. Maybe she wasn't all that bad. . .

"I'm so sorry," she said, speaking her condolences. He nodded in thanks and they sipped on their hot cocoa, courtesy of Alexia. They had been talking for that past hour in his bedroom, sharing details and getting to know each other little by little. She had told him about the last couple years, of traveling and fighting, surviving. At the same time, he told her all about his past adventures, both the good and bad. They talked freely, they sipped on their cocoa, and they enjoyed the others presence.

"You know, Alexia. . ." Riku said, hesitating as he did so. He was never good with these types of things. He sighed and continued. "I'm really sorry about how I acted when we first met. It's just. . ." He left the thought hanging, not knowing what to say.

"You miss Sora and Kairi," Alexia said. He looked up at her from beneath his hair, shocked. "You miss your best friends, but you miss Sora even more. He was the only one that ever understood you, or so you felt. And after being so long away from him, and Kairi, but mainly him; you miss him, and just want to be back on the islands with him. You want your old life back," she explained. He was absolutely shocked. She had read him like a book, and he wasn't even showing half of those feelings.

"How did you—"

"I am a great judge of personality. I also feel the exact same thing, burning within me. I long for my old life again." Riku felt numb from disbelief. He may have found someone that finally shared the same pain he felt.

Or even worse.

**HoL:TS**

_Destiny Islands  
__August 16, 2010_

"U-um. . ." Tidus hesitated. He had been hard at work all morning, and it was now just late morning, at about ten. He had about one thousand trainees under his official command. He, of course, was specifically helping those proficient in melee. He had ordered Wakka to help those with range, Selphie with magic, and Jake with defense. Sophia was aiding the help of magic, just like her sister, while Morgan assisted Wakka in range. Lucy and Catherine were helping Tidus keep organization over all of the plans and training while Robin was helping Jake with defense. All of these teens, with the help of the Vanguard, were slowly training all one thousand volunteers.

The Vanguard of Destiny was the equivalent of a police or military force on the Islands. They had helped Tidus by lending many supplies and gear in the aid to help stop Maleficent. But this entire time, the training had been going well. It was already a week in, but the entire time, Tidus had been overstressed and super worried. He had told Riku that he would have no problem handling things, but on the inside, he was frantic and overwhelmed.

"U-um, you need to ask Wakka about that," he said to a girl with a pair of shurikens. She nodded happily and strode over to the ranged area of the grounds. Tidus had taken a large and unused section of land on the islands. Much like Twilight Town—for they could now communicate with a select few worlds—they had set up an encampment full of pavilions and buildings. Just then, a bright light flashed in his vision, temporary blinding him, and then dying away. When his vision refocused, he sighed in relief.

**HoL:TS**

"Riku! Alexia! What brings you guys back?" Tidus asked them, running towards the duo with his Brotherhood sheathed at his side. His golden locks shimmered in the late morning sun, his feet pounding the sand and sending flying. Riku loved the islands, and nothing could take them away from him.

"Well, we were coming back to check out how things were going," Riku replied. He looked around at the encampment. It was much like the one at Twilight Town except located on the east coast of the main island. There was an obstacle course set in the grainy sand, meant to train stamina and muscles. Even to this day, Riku knew it could be hard to run in the sand, let alone complete an obstacle course. Set up closer to the hard earth were the training grounds. Each area of combat specialty had a large splotch of land to themselves. The training simulator had been moved to accommodate the northern section of the grounds. All over there were hundreds of teens and adults, training in magic, melee, and ranged. The air was humid and rang with the sounds of metal, bursting of magic and thuds of weapons making contact with dummies. Tidus and whoever was helping him looked like they had the place and situation under control.

"Thanks. I've been doing my best, and I've had our friends helping us, and I think we can add the next course over here, and I—"

"Tidus! Calm down, man," Riku said, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder. Tidus stopped his rambling and took a deep and ragged breath. He closed his eyes and opened them again.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. The entire week I've been so worried and nervous about handling all this. Everyone follows my lead easily, but I just don't know if I can lead them right," he explained. Riku had to admit that Tidus had that "likeable" factor. People loved to be around him and joined him in anything he did. But that was just the thing: he didn't know what he was doing unless it was with girls.

"Hey now. It will be better, trust me. You just have to get used to being a leader," Alexia placated. Tidus shook his head. They then followed him as he gave them a tour of the grounds. He explained all about how their small group of friends was helping him run things. HE showed them the ranging arena and the melee, where he was the teacher. The defense area was smaller than the magic and the medical ward was just next to the mess hall. After about an hour of talking, Tidus said farewell to Riku and Alexia. They waved with radiant smiles on their faces and beamed up into the Balmung, ready to head back to the Radiant Garden.

**HoL:TS**

_Aboard the Balmung  
__August 18, 2010_

Night was descending upon the Balmung, or so their clocks told them. Alexia and Riku had gotten to know each other a bit more, discovering more of the others past. They had shared a couple more laughs and hardly argued anymore. Their ship was outfitted with a lot of entertainment. They played some video games, watched movies and sitcoms on DVD. They tried a lot of new foods and recipes. Alexia had said goodnight to Riku, his hair still damp and hanging in front of his cyan eyes. She herself was about to take a shower and go to sleep. This time she slept with a smile on her face.

But that was soon destroyed.

Some time later in the night, at about three in the morning, Alexia moaned and turned restlessly in her bed, tugging at the blankets and sheets, a pained look upon her face. She muttered unintelligible words, but snatches of "no" and "help" were heard. She kept muttering, distressful and scared, a word that sounded like "daddy" creeping from her mouth, choked with fear. She tossed her hair about, her scarred eyelid loose upon her rolling eyeball, or what was left of it. She let out slight screams and sweat beaded out on her skin. Her nightmare intensified and became vivid. She was familiar with this nightmare, but never had it been this vivid. . . this alive.

**HoL:TS**

_Alexia had just finished reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and sat the book on her nightstand. It had been a present from her Pappy for her thirteenth birthday, which had been a few weeks ago. Her room was dark save the bedside lamp that cast shadows all about the clean room. It was pink, mainly. She had posters of different cute animals and some famous thinkers and doers of time. She had Einstein here and Tolkien over there. She had some kittens around the room and a puppy or two to diversify. It was a room of tranquility, and it was her sanctum. But, most of all, it was a place she could hide in. From her monsters in her closet or under her bed. The moonlight had crept from behind the clouds and it shone brightly in her chilly room, the Maine air nipping at her skin. She curled under her blankets, ready for sleep. She shut off her lamp and closed her eyes. Then she heard him._

_ "You bitch! Why ish my dinner cold?" her father screamed at her mother in his drunken slur. If she could see her mother, she would feel terrified at just the sight._

_ "You've been out drinking for hours. Dinner was made a few—" There was a loud slap that cutoff her mother. Crying immediately followed. Alexia shed some tears, almost too afraid to breathe. _

_ "Thash no exchuse you whore," her father said. Her mother wept loudly and she heard her father stomp loudly._

_ "Stop yer damn cryin'!" he roared at her._

_ "B-b- but I only tri—" It was cut off by a loud scream that ended flat, silence followed by a dull thud. Alexia didn't want to think about what her father just did. He left their bedroom and walked past Alexia's room, muttering to himself._

_ "That oughtta keep the woman quiet," he said, heading for the bathroom. Alexia pulled the covers up, almost hiding all of herself. The first rule as a child was to hide under the covers. If you couldn't see the monsters, they couldn't see you. It was an unbreakable rule. _

_ She heard the toilet flush and then the heavy footfalls grew louder as he approached her door again. She was silently praying for him to pass by. She didn't think she could come up with another excuse for the teachers._

_ "Where did you get those bruises, Alexia?" they would ask._

_ "Oh you know, just climbing trees and being careless," she lied. _

_ And she cried on the inside._

_ The footfalls grew louder until they stopped outside her door. Her heart stopped and it clogged her throat. She couldn't breathe, and maybe that was a good thing. Rule number two was to stay quiet and don't make a move. Her body felt paralyzed, and maybe that was good too. . ._

_ "Alexia? Are you awake, baby?" he asked. She did not answer. He jiggled the doorknob. She started to sweat and and her pores released fear. The door swung open, letting the hall light enter her room. She was facing her back to the door and could see his looming shadow on her far wall, standing and haunting. He approached the bed and laid a hand on her shoulder. She jumped._

_ "Oh, you are awake," he said, sitting by her side. She rolled over and looked him into his brown eyes. Gluttony, greed, and hatred stared back, but he never knew it. _

_ "Your mother was being awful rude to me," he said. Alexia could only stare. He sighed and she could smell the malt on his breath, laced with danger and other thoughts._

_ "You'll always be my baby girl, right?" he asked, massaging her shoulder gingerly, although a little calloused. She didn't answer. She just stayed quiet while her purple eyes welled with fear. He grew slightly angry._

_ "You're just like yer mother sometimes!" he said, gripping her shoulder tightly, digging his fingers into her before releasing. She squealed slightly and wept. He noted this._

_ "What, are you gonna cry, too?" he asked, standing up quickly. She cowered under his sheer form. _

_ "You'll always be my little baby. Do NOT be like yer damn mother and be a dirty whore," he yelled. Alexia wept openly and finally found her voice._

_ "Don't talk about mommy like that," she said in a choked voice, that clog ever present._

_ "It's true and you know it!" he shouted._

_ "No it's not!" she screamed back. She instantly clapped her hand to her mouth. Fear flooded her being. Her screams rang out into the night. She would hold that black eye for two weeks._

_ "Do not talk to me like that!" he shouted, withdrawing his fist. She wept loudly. "And don't you expect any different from any boy you meet. My little girl is growing up, being a teen and all. Boys are gonna want you in different ways, baby," he said, his volume back under control. She was confused as to what he was talking about. What did he mean?_

_ "D-d-daddy. . . what do you m-mean?" she stuttered through the tears. He sighed and approached her again. She shuddered and pulled the covers up._

_ "Your mother was the same way when we were young. She was always stubborn and I always hated her for that," he said bitterly, looking lost in memory in his hazy state. _

_ "Daddy?" she asked, quiet as a mouse. Something about him snapped. He looked as if in a trance. He also still looked lost in memory. He looked at her dazedly._

_ "Daddy?" she asked again._

_ "Janet," he said, calling her by her mother's name. Now she became very scared. He beat mother more than he did her._

_ "Janet, why won't you?" he asked. He sat on the bed and stroked Alexia's silver hair. She was trembling and shaking all over. _

_ "D-daddy?"_

_ "Janet, you will be mine!" he shouted._

_ "Daddy?!" there was no response. He was too drunk and too lost in confusion. He had mistaken Alexia for his wife. He ripped away the cover. Alexia kept saying "daddy" over and over again, growing in decibel. He gripped her arms tightly and kissed her on her lips roughly. She screamed into his mouth, muffled. She kicked her legs and thrashed as much as she could. It didn't work. He was a big man and much stronger than her. She was only thirteen._

_ "I love you, Janet," he said lustfully. He kissed her neck and she screamed an ear-piercing note. No one would hear her with her mother unconscious and their house two miles from town. One of his hands left her arms and groped her left and developing breast. Now she was hysteric, punching him with her free arm as his kisses worked down. She thrashed and he continued. He ripped her shirt off, exposing her body. She was crying spasmodically now, flowing like waterfalls. He kissed her belly._

_ "D-d-daddy! Stop!" she screamed, her throat becoming coarse. This was by far the worst thing he had ever done to her, even worse then when he broke her arm. He paid her no mind as he started pulling her pajama bottoms down, exposing her tender flesh to the cold Maine air. Gooseflesh rippled across her. _

_ "DADDY! STOP!" she screamed. She cried without pattern now. It was heavy and brutal._

_ He kissed her inner thighs, his hands rubbing her legs, slowly moving up. She had almost given up, her muscles too weak to do anything. She was still trying to kick him, but to no avail. Then her eyes shot open, small droplets of tears flying from her lashes. She screamed as loud as her body would let her as she felt his hand move up. . ._

_ Then suddenly, he was thrown back from her and through one, two, three walls, through the outer window in the bathroom and out into the yard. What had just happened? The house was a ruin as she redressed in different clothes. The walls were torn apart; items that had fallen from them strewn about with the debris. She was still crying when her mother groggily entered the room, blood slowly dripping down her temple. She looked in shock at the room. After some tense and silent minutes, they walked through the holes to the shattered window. _

_ The last thing Alexia saw before she fainted was her father. He was speared through an iron fence. _

_ She still remembered his lifeless eyes. . . _

**HoL:TS**

"Alexia! ALEXIA!" She woke up, screaming, bathed in sweat. Her silver hair was damp and stuck to her face, concealing her scar. She felt a hand gripping her shoulder and and lashed out, punching whoever was grabbing her.

"No daddy!" she screamed as she did so. She realized she had just punched Riku in his bare chest, making him grunt from the blow. He rubbed his highly muscled chest and she averted her teary eyes, casting them on her dark room. She had kept it as is. She looked back to him, still afraid and feeling vulnerable.

"You're welcome, Alexia," he said to her. She was crying profusely, scared and trembling. She pulled her sweaty blanket up to cover her nightshirt, which was a bit revealing.

"R- Riku. What are you doing in here?" she asked, breathing heavily while silently sobbing. She felt the tears start to crawl back.

"What happened?" he asked, forgetting her question.

"It was just a nightmare. Now what are you doing here?" she asked again, not wanting to talk about that horrid dream.

"I heard you screaming from my room. I ran here as soon as I heard it. I had to make sure you were okay," he said, worriedly. She believed his tone. His eyes were frantic, yet colorful. He was wide awake in minutes and all his emotion and slight fear were in his eyes. She believed him, but she didn't believe the situation. That dream. . .

"Th- thank you, Riku. I never knew you cared so much," she said meekly, almost embarrassed. She was crying for mixed reasons now. She took a sharp intake of breath as he reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I always care about my friends."

Her heart soared. A friend. They weren't just a myth.

**HoL:TS**

_Radiant Garden  
__August 23, 2010_

Riku took his yellow hard hat off and placed it on his bedside table. He had a half hour lunch break and had went back to Merlin's house. He walked to his bathroom and splashed sold water onto his sweaty face, relishing as the droplets rolled down his neck, following the tendons sticking out of his neck and dripping down his chest. He dried his face with a brilliant white towel and looked in the mirror. He understood the importance of the restoration, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy the work that went along with it. But he had to give the committee—which he was a part of—credit; they ran things smoothly and quickly. The process of building went fast, and the job was done with high quality.

He now considered Alexia a friend, and he never questioned her about what her nightmare was about. She seemed to have been very troubled by it, and he would let her tell him when she wanted to. He ran his callused hands over his eyes and sighed. He shrugged and went downstairs, ready to get something to eat.

He walked into the main room, the entire committee there. Aerith was bringing plates full of food to each of the members. Everyone was glad that Axel was with them today instead of Lea. Merlin confessed that he had not gotten any headway into the situation. Yuffie didn't care, along with many others. But Merlin found this as a problem that needed to be fixed. There had been no appearances of Maleficent or Sephiroth. The Radiant Garden had been a good place for a while now. The travel was smoothing out, the housing was no more an issue, and the commerce was booming. Life was good and sound.

And it would be for about another minute.

"So, how is the army doing on T—" Tifa was asking, but interrupted by a massive booming and crashing from outside. In less than a minute, all the members had dropped what they were doing and had grabbed their weapons, rushing outside. Riku looked for Alexia as he summoned Way to Dawn. He couldn't find her and assumed she had made it out into the streets.

As Riku passed the tables piled with papers and out the door of Merlin's house, he heard screaming of thousands of people. He saw dust furled in the sky from a felled tower. Debris and white washed bricks scattered a courtyard very close to Merlin's house. Houses had been crushed along with a few number of civilians. It was mass chaos outside, civilians running everywhere in hysterics. He found the committee group and followed their unison gaze up where the tower used to be. Cloud was the first to yell.

"SEPHIROTH!" he shouted. And there he was, floating high in the sky, a dark smile on his face. His wing was extended out and his masamune was drawn. He looked down on them like insignificant life forms. Riku watched as everyone but Cloud backed up and put away their weapons.

"What are you all doing?" he asked. Aerith answered him.

"Because only Cloud can contend with Sephiroth. We have no chance compared to Cloud and Sephiroth," she explained.

"Well I can," Riku said, taking his stance by Cloud's side as the committee retreated into the house.

"Riku, go back inside. You will not have a chance. It's best that you don't get hurt," he told him seriously, readying his buster sword. Riku chuckled.

"You obviously don't know me," Riku retorted.

"You obviously don't know Sephiroth," Cloud answered back. Riku thought of the few times Sora mentioned Sephiroth. Sora had always been afraid of him and the power he held.

"So, Cloud _and_ Riku. I get bored so easily working with Maleficent. And when I make my way here, ready to have some fun, I never expected to get the deluxe package. Is this for free?" he asked, amused.

"Go away, Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled back, his leather gloves squeaking as he gripped his sword more roughly.

"Oh, come now, where would the fun in that be?"

And without warning, he disappeared, and reappeared in a flash, an instant. Riku barely dodged the blade as Sephiroth was now just in front of them, Cloud pushing Riku out of the way while he met Sephiroth's blade and pushed him back. He was fast! How did Cloud even see that sword coming? Riku recovered and joined the swordplay that had already began. He slashed at Sephiroth as Cloud did, yet Sephiroth was too fast, blocking and parrying them both with one hand and easily. He smirked and kicked back, vaulting away from them and swinging his sword midair. A large beam of energy rushed towards them, slicing through anything and everything it touched like it was air. Cloud jumped high in the air, meeting with Sephiroth again. Riku could only barely jump the beam.

Riku ran to catch up with them as they danced like fire. Metal clashed and rang and Riku fire spells, hoping to distract Sephiroth long enough to give Cloud an opening. Not only did this not work, but Sephiroth sent his own spells with just his free hand, striking Riku easily. They were too fast for him to dodge. Riku was thrown backward and into a wall, falling into the thick dust that had settled from the destruction. He coughed as it entered his lungs. His skin was badly burned, but he dealt with the pain and joined them once again.

Riku thrust at Sephiroth's side, then switched to his leg. As Sephiroth sidestepped the attack, he kicked the blade from Riku's hand, sending it flying. It immediately returned to Riku's hand, and this was the first thing to surprise Sephiroth. Cloud took the opportunity and landed a small nick on Sephiroth's shoulder. His smirk vanished, and so did he. He returned behind Cloud and struck him with a powerful blow, sending him through a brick wall. Riku had just brought up his blade to block Sephiroth's. They started their own swordplay, and Riku became cut multiple times. Then Sephiroth laughed and lunged forward, punching Riku in the gut, dropping him instantly.

"And I expected more. Sora was actually able to cause me a problem. You're too weak. I would feel bad killing you so easily. But what do I care?" Sephiroth stated, looming over Riku's spluttering form. He was on his knees, bent over and coughing up blood. Riku looked up to see a black and leather boot kick him in the jaw, breaking it and sending him into barrel rolls. He hit the ground and rolled into some debris, his blade disappearing, just like his vision was beginning to.

"NO" Cloud shouted, returning to the fight.

Riku blacked out.

**HoL:TS**

_Radiant Garden  
__August, 25, 2010_

Riku sat with Cloud as he told him all about the fight after Riku had been knocked unconscious.

"So, you don't think he will come back?" Riku asked.

"Not anytime soon," Cloud replied.

Riku had woken the next morning in his bed, all his injuries gone thanks to the masterful healing abilities of Aerith.

"We told you not to mess with Sephiroth," she had told him when he initially woke up. He had lost. Not only that, but he had been thrown around like a toy. Sephiroth had done just that: toy with him. And he would have died had he not been saved by Cloud. He needed to be better. He had to.

Just as Cloud was about to continue. . .

"Hey guys, we have a message from Olympus, come here!" Yuffie shouted to everyone from the monitor. Cloud and Riku shrugged, getting up to come and see what it was all about.

"Check this out," Yuffie said excitedly. Riku looked at the monitor and saw what was an advertisement poster. On it was the Olympus Coliseum. And in big letters were:

THE OLYMPIAN CUP!

Come all, to the biggest event in the cosmos!

Fighters from all around the universe will be attending for the grand prize, and that winner might be you! Come and see all the grandness that is the Olympian Cup!  
September 1st

"We _have_ to go, Leon," Yuffie said.

"The King knew about this ahead of time, and we decided it would be good for everyone. Of course we will go. Maybe Sora will be there?"

Riku looked at Alexia and winked. This was going to be fun.

**HoL:TS**

_Olympus  
__August 31, 2010_

This place was huge! Riku looked in awe at the place. The sandy marble columns rose high up, meeting the stone roof of the front building. The blue sky shone down on the grounds. Pot torches flickered violently as people walked here and there, all different species. Hundreds of contestants were there, but only twenty-four would be picked for the finals. The prelims would be intense. Merlin, Cid, Yuffie, Leon, Axel (or was it Lea?), Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Alexia and himself had come here for the cup. Sora had bragged about winning all of them. Riku was going to end his streak, in one way or another.

Riku was just thinking about how he would beat Sora when. . .

"Riku! Everybody!" Riku turned around to see that goofy grin and dumb spiky hair.

He smiled.

* * *

TUH: Wow that was long-winded. *Gets into a bunker*  
TUH: Let the hate commence.

TN: Well, now we leave Riku and the mystery of Alexia at the Olympian Cup. We see that Riku has a lot of growing to do and that he and Alexia are now friends. But what of Alexia's horrid past? What are all of your thoughts!? Like we said, sorry about that section, but it was great for her character. We can't wait to see you all in. . .

Chapter XI: And a Bottle of Rum

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	11. And a Bottle of Rum

TUH: Well guys, I have terrible news.

TN: And that would be?

TUH: I'ltorien is slightly smaller this time around.

TN: But, my part is larger than usual. . .

Wood Dog: Hehehehehehe

TN & TUH: *facepalm*  
TN: Hey Penguinlord352 and Jecht! Get over here.

*They waltz over*

TN: Jecht, you know what to do.

Jecht: JECHT SIGNATURE BACKHAND MARK LXXIII AND A HALF!

*Read Penguins story, comprehend the scream of Sephiroth and multiply that by 9001 to understand Wood Dog's pain and scream*  
*And he's blasting off again*  
*Twinkle*

TN: Well, anyway, thanks guys.

TUH: Anyway. . . the chapter is smaller than the last one.

TN: Well, I feel like a tease should happen in the post-note. . . I have nothing else really to say right now.

TUH: Okay, I still say this chapter is less sexy.

TN: Next chapter, well. . . It shall. . . be what everyone has been waiting for.  
TN: Ready for the disclaimer?

Tibarn: So, since I'm about to be sent into obscurity for a time I. . . "kindly asked" to make this disclaimer. So. . . something about not owning KH and anything inside the fic outside of some OCs or something. . . whatever! This was a bad idea.

Tibarn: PS: I broke their ankles.

* * *

**Chapter**** XI**

**And a Bottle of Rum**

_I'ltorien  
__July 18 2010_

"W-what?!" One gasped in horror, taking both hands to her chest and backing off.

"Tibarn, what are yo-" Ike began, only to have Tibarn talk over him.

"Shut up Ike. If I get the answer I want we'll be over this and back on our way!" Tibarn exclaimed, shutting Ike up for a moment. While Ike did not like the way this was going, he knew that the best way to go about this was to try and take the peaceful way out. No matter how hard it seemed. "Alright, it's a simple question. Why did you run?"

"H-huh?" One questioned, still scared out of her mind.

"When the lab was destroyed. Why did you run from the city? Why not just stay with the Empire?" he asked once again. One felt uncomfortable under his gaze. She felt like he was sizing her up, asking himself when and where he could attack. Still, she knew the answer. It was obvious.

"I couldn't stay there any longer. They. . . they don't treat you like a human in there. Like a person. They treat you like cattle. You can't call each other by your names, they do. . . things to you. Or try at least. They make you fight to the death. Th-they. . . I just couldn't take it! I didn't want to be there anymore!" One said, hardly managing to push her memories away. Tibarn looked at her, impassive for a full minute, closing his eyes to think before shaking his head.

"Well, so you are with Merlina's group just because you could not stand the torture?" he said coldly, his eyes sharp an perceptive, just seeing how One covered her mouth with her right hand was enough for him to understand. "Well then, I see you're being honest, but what makes it so you can't be just spying for them? They could have just offered you a ticket out of experimentation in exchange for a little double-agent job," he attacked, pointing his finger accusingly at One, Ike taking a step in front of her while she took a step backwards.

"Back off. She's clearly not one for those kinds of things. She can barely look at me in the eye!" Ike said, standing in-between One and Tibarn, defiant. The Hawk King laughed.

"It's always the quiet ones. How do you KNOW that's her? How do you know she hasn't been faking this entire time. Can you prove it, little girl?" One took a look to the side and said:

"I-I can give my word!" but she knew she wouldn't get lucky with just that.

_Sunny. . . that guy is pissing me oooooooff!_

"Please don't. . ." One said inwardly, feeling the burn on her chest intensifying. Tibarn laughed, shaking his head.

"That doesn't work like that girl. We Laguz know that there's only one way to draw out your true self. And it is a duel to the death!" Tibarn shouted, Ike immediately reacting by throwing himself at him but he got back-handed in the neck, followed by a suplex into the ground and an elbow drop on the back of the head, completely knocking him out.

_Ooooooh, he really wants to go! Well then, let's get crackin'!_

"Please, Tibarn, don't! I. . . I don't know if I can control myself!" One warned, taking another step back as fumes started to come out of her cheek.

"Oh, that's exactly the point. To show me your true self!" Tibarn seemed to smile nigh madly at this as he walked towards her. "Besides, I can't say I can either. . ." with a large squawk and colliding fists, he exploded into a hawk and dove at One. "Besides, as far as I know, every other thing that left the laboratory is now the Emperor's bitch."

And her mind went snap.

**HoL:TS**

_Port Royal  
__August 11, 2010_

Rain pattered against the cobblestone streets of Port Royal. The afternoon was bleak and gray as Sora, Kairi and Merideth rushed under an outlying canopy. Wind rustled their hair and the water sprayed their feet. Sora felt exhilarated, even with the given weather. He had loved his last trip here. He was excited to see Will and Elizabeth again. And of course, he was really wanting to see _Captain_ Jack Sparrow.

Just as he was about to head to Will's smithy, a treadling patrol of guards, Redcoats, passed them by, their bayoneted rifles at the ready. They were escorting Will Turner of all people. He was dressed in fine clothing. His clothes were damp while his feathered hat was drenched. His head was held high, but with a grimace as the chill wind tore through the dark streets. And he was in shackles!

"Will!" Sora yelled, running back into the cold and pelting rain to his side. The guards paid him no mind and let him walk. Kairi and Merideth reluctantly followed.

"So this is Will?" they asked. Sora nodded.

"Sora! It is great to see you again! Though I wish it were under different circumstances," he said dreadfully. He winced as the shackles cut into his tanned and taut skin.

"I'm glad to see you, too. What is with this, though?" Sora asked, perplexed at his condition.

"I am under arrest," he simply replied as the guards made a right turn, heading to the docks. Sora and the girls followed him.

"Well this isn't the best way to kick off this world," Merideth said. The others silently agreed as the rash wind assaulted them and the rain puttered down.

The guards had led them to another group, with whom was Elizabeth. She shrieked and ran to him, embracing him at once.

"Will? Why is this happening?" she asked, brown eyes teary. He met hers with love. Sora beamed at their love, regardless of what was happening.

"I- I don't know, but you look beautiful," he said to her. She smiled, showing her pearly teeth.

"I think that it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," she answered back. Then she saw Sora.

"Sora! You're here, too?" she asked, hugging him as well. He laughed.

"Yeah. I wanted to visit you all and see how Jack was doing," he replied.

"That's great, but where are Donald and Goofy?" she asked him.

"Oh, they can't be here right now. The King needs them. But I do have Kairi and Merideth with me," he told them. Kairi and Merideth introduced themselves, moving the damp hair away from their eyes.

"Oh, you really are so beautiful," Elizabeth said to Kairi, who blushed highly.

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"Well, Sora told us all about you," Will replied as a man started to walk in their direction.

"Did he?" she asked with a small smile, blushing more. Sora's face became red as he looked away hurriedly.

"William! Elizabeth!" Governor Swann was heard as he ran towards the group, being stopped by marines with poleaxes. The other man had walked over. He was short and had a peachy face beneath his powdered wig. His sharp eyes calculated the area and he had his assistant open up a box.

"Ah, Governor Weatherby Swann, it's been too long," this man said. His voice was laced with power and authority.

"Cutler Beckett?" Governor Swann asked, pushing past the marines.

"His Lord, now," Lord Beckett replied.

"Lord or not, you have no authority to arrest this man!" Sora answered hotly, sticking up for Will/

"In fact I do," Lord Beckett replied haughtily. He took from the box a warrant.

"The warrant for the arrest of William Turner," he announced, almost happily. Governor Swann seized the warrant, not wanting to believe it.

"This warrant is for Elizabeth Swann," he read in incredulity.

"Oh is it?" Lord Beckett asked. "That is annoying, arrest her," he simply stated. The guards threw her in a pair of shackles as well.

"Ah, here is the one for Mr. Turner. Here is one for Mr. James Norrington as well," he announced, though Commodore Norrington was not present.

"Commodore Norrington resigned some months ago," Governor Swann said, his voice choked.

"Hm. And at last, here is one for a young man of Sora and his friends. Arrest them as well," Lord Beckett ordered. Before they knew it, Sora, Kairi and Merideth were roughly shackled, the cold steel biting into there skin, chaffing it.

"Wait! Why? What have we done? Under what charges?" Sora demanded, wincing at the cut.

"The charge is conspiring to free a man convicted of crimes against the Crown and Empire and condemned to death. . ." Governor Swann read off, trailing the last of the sentence into nothing, only for Lord Beckett to continue with a smirk on his face.

". . .for which the punishment regrettably, is also death," he said masochistically. "Perhaps you all remember a pirate named Jack Sparrow?"

"CAPTAIN!" Will, Elizabeth and Sora shouted at him.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Sora corrected him, a fire in his heart and deterministic flare in his eyes.

"Ah, I thought you might. Take them to the cells," he ordered. The teens, along with Will and Elizabeth, were roughly marched to the dingy and ragged dungeons. Two cells were empty. Merideth and Elizabeth were thrown into one while Sora, Kairi and Will were thrown into the next. The shackles had been removed and the iron barred doors slammed shut, echoing down the depressing and torchlit passageways. Sora slumped against the back wall, grime and slime covering his jacket as his butt fell hard on the straw that barely concealed the inky stone. Kairi made her way to him and sat next to him, her face in disgust at the condition of the messy cell. Will walked to the separating bars and locked hands with Elizabeth.

And so they waited for about an hour when a couple of guards came to them.

"Master Turner and Master Sora. You have been summoned to Lord Beckett's office," the first one said through gritty teeth. Without a word, Will went to the gate, becoming cuffed once again. Sora looked at the girls.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. We'll get this worked out," he said. He let them cuff him again and followed the procession to Lord Beckett's office.

"Lord Beckett. The prisoners as ordered, sir," the second guard mumbled.

"Ah, welcome," Lord Beckett said in his smug voice. "And those won't be necessary," he said to the guards, motioning at the shackles. The guards unlocked them and retreated out of the door, leaving the three men in the room together.

"The East India Trading Company is in need of your services," he said to the two of them, absent mindlessly pouring an amber liquor into three crystal goblets. He offered the drinks to the two of them. They both rejected the offer. He shrugged his shoulders and picked up his glass, steadily sipping at it.

"We wish for you to act as our agents in a business transaction with our mutual friend, Captain Sparrow," he stated, walking to the roaring stone fireplace. He grabbed a piece of steel from it, a branding iron with the emblem of a _P_ at the end. It was cherry red and hissing. He smiled at it and cast it back in the fire.

"More acquaintance than friend," Will replied.  
"How do you know him?" Sora asked, crossing his arms.

"We have had dealings in the past. We have left our marks on the other," he replied amiably. "By your efforts, Jack Sparrow is free. I want you two to find him and recover something that is in his possession," he said, walking back to them and draining his goblet.

"Recover? At the point of a sword?" Sora asked.

"No. A bargain," Lord Beckett replied with a small smile. "Letters of marque in the equivalent of a full pardon to all parties in return for his employ with England."

"I hardly doubt he will find employ the same as being free," Will replied harshly.

"Freedom. Jack Sparrow is a dying breed. The world is shrinking, the blank edges of the map filling in. Jack must find his place in the New World or perish with the Old," Lord Beckett said nobly. "But not unlike you Mr. Turner and Sora. Your fiancés and yourselves face the noose."

"You and Kairi are engaged?" Will asked, a smile finally changing his face. Sora felt his blood rush.

"No! We're just friends. Lord Beckett has been mistaken," he replied hurriedly, looking out to the sea and the docks, busy with workers as a massive clock was pulled up, ready for installation.

"My apologies," Lord Beckett muttered.

"So you will get both Jack and the Black Pearl?" Will asked.

"The Black Pearl?" Lord Beckett asked confusedly.

"The property that you want that he possesses," Sora answered back.

"A ship? Hardly. I want something much smaller and something he keeps on his person at all times. A compass," he said. Both Will and Sora knew immediately what he meant.

"Ah, you know it. Bring me that or there is no deal," he offered.

**HoL:TS**

_The Black Pearl  
__August 11, 2010_

"Ugh, why is the rum always gone?" Captain Jack Sparrow muttered as he descended the steps of his Black Pearl, passing the loud snores of the crew and the whimpers and stenches of the animals. He unlocked a ragged and slime covered door into a storage room. A whole wall had been dedicated to holding alcohol, predominantly rum. He walked goofy, like he always did, and peered into one of the slots with disgust. He watched as many subterranean life forms shrank back from the fierce light of his oily lantern. He turned away, and was pleased to find a bottle jutting out down the row. He popped the cork and held it upside down, letting grainy sand pour out instead.

"Time's run out, Jack," a deep, watery voice said, resonating from the darkness. Jack's heart nearly stopped as it rushed up into his throat. He turned slowly around and walked toward the other end of the room, lantern poised in front of him. Bootstrap Bill Turner appeared.

"Bootstrap. Bill Turner," he whispered, his voice still somewhat lost.

"You look good, Jack," he answered back.

"Is this a dream?" Jack muttered, not believing his eyes.

"No," Bill replied.

"I thought so. If it were, there would be rum." Bill raised his hand, offering a bottle of rum. It was crusty and stuck to his hand, but hell, Jack loved his rum. He pried it from Bill's hand and wrenched the cap off. He took a swig and got a better look at Bill. His clothes were tattered and sopping wet. Bits of barnacle were clung to it along with some clams and seaweed. His skin was deathly pale and half of his face was covered with a bright starfish.

"So I see you have the Pearl back," Bill said nonchalantly.

"I had help in retrieving it, you know. Your son," Jack told him, remembering the adventures with Will and that one boy. Zolo, was it?

"William? He ended up a pirate after all," he said with a downward face.

"And what do I owe the pleasure in your carbuncle?" Jack said, taking a seat.

"He sent me. Davy Jones," Bill replied simply.

"Ah. So he shanghaied you into service, eh?" Jack asked as he drank more rum. He really loved rum.

"I chose it. I am sorry in the part I played in the mutiny against you, Jack. I stood up for you. Everything went wrong after that," Bill said meekly. He looked outward into the darkness, or was it memory of things too horrid?

"I was being crushed by the depths, unable to die. I would have traded anything to get out of that," Bill said.

"It's funny what a man will do to forestall his final judgment," Jack said sarcastically.

"You made a deal with him, too, Jack. He raised the Pearl from the depths for you. Thirteen years you've been her captain," he stated.

"Well, technically—"

"Jack, you won't be able to talk yourself out of this one. The same terms apply to you. One hundred years of service upon his ship," Bill interrupted.

"Well, seeing as how the Flying Dutchman already has a captain, I—"

"Then it's the locker for you!" Bill interrupted again. "His terrible leviathan will find you and drag the Pearl down to the darkness and you along with it!"

"Any idea when Jones might send out said terrible beastie?" Jack asked, the color drained from his face. He felt fear unlike any other.

"I already told you, your time is up. It comes now," he said, wiping Jack's hand with his own, the dreaded Black Spot appearing. "It comes for those that wear the Black Spot."

"Well that's not good," Jack replied, looking at the disgusting thing upon his hand.

"And that's not all. He has been talking, collaborating with some witch. Dark she is, and she has dreadful power. Jones has partook in it and creatures have been seen on the ship and in the waters. They are black and horrible things. She is promising him something grand in return to stop someone named Sora," Bill explained to Jack. Ah, so it was Sora, not Zolo.

"Well, that. . ." Jack looked to an empty chair as Bill had vanished. Jack ran to the deck, waking the crew, and setting for land. Ideas were formulating in his head and a plan for escape was on the unseen horizon.

**HoL:TS**

_Port Royal  
__August 11, 2010_

"Here now, you lot can't be here," some guard said to Sora and Will as they rushed down the rough stone stairs into the cells. Governor Swann protested to the guard as Will went straight to Elizabeth. Sora unlocked Kairi's cell with the Oblivion and let her out.

"What's going on?" she asked dazedly as Sora closed the empty cell.

"Merideth," Sora said, "we need you to stay with Elizabeth while we go and find Jack."

"Okay," she said, understanding the importance of it.

"Elizabeth," Will said, taking her hands in his and putting their foreheads together. "We have secured a deal with Lord Beckett. I can trade Jack's compass for all of our freedom. You just need to give us the time to do it," he explained.

"We will start in Tortuga. We should find a lead there," Sora informed.

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon," Will said, kissing her goodbye.

"Come on Kai, we have a pirate to find," Sora said eagerly. He was ready for some _real_ adventure.

**HoL:TS**

_Tortuga  
__August 13, 2010_

It felt great for Sora to get off the ship and stretch his legs. He had to have a quick refresher on how to crew a ship, but Kairi needed taught fully. Roxas and Naminé had been able to help as well. They arrived at Tortuga in two day's time. Even in the late morning, pirates and layabouts were drinking, fighting, and living a life free of problems. Sometimes he wished he could do this, but it just wasn't meant for him. They walked down the salty dock and formed a plan.

"Okay. Sora and Kairi, you go one way while I search another," Will said, keeping it short and simple. Sora nodded in understanding while he and Kairi ran off into town while Will stayed around the water's edge.

The village stank of stale alcohol, animal droppings, and unclean men and women. Dirt kicked around their ankles as drunken people weaved to and fro, completely oblivious to the children in their presence. They asked all around for Jack, and they had gotten all sorts of different results, none of which were solid enough to go off of. Kairi had kept close to him, slightly afraid of the looks the older men were giving her. She had remarked on them about how they looked. Their dank and clumpy hair, usually in patches, was yellow. Scabs covered them and they smiled with little to no teeth. She was starting to dislike pirates.

"How could you enjoy this world?" she asked, nauseated by the behavior and appearance of the pirates.

"I don't know. It just gives me thrills," he replied happily. They then came to a couple of women.

"Is your name Scarlet?" he asked the redhead, remembering the stories and descriptions Jack had once given him.

"Yes, and you are?" she asked back.

"I'm Sora. I'm looking for my friend Captain Jack Sparrow. Have you seen him?" he asked.

"Oh, Jack Sparrow?" she said in high-pitched voice, looking at the other beautiful women at her side. "No, but when you find him, will you give him a message?" she said. She strutted forward, hauled her hand back, and slapped Sora extremely hard against the face. He spun around from the force and let out a hiss of pain. A hand print was already visible on his smooth cheek, red and stinging.

"Damn! That smarts," he said a few minutes later, rubbing his cheek. Kairi had felt sorry for him while Roxas had made fun of him within his mind.

"Come on, it's been a couple hours. Let's find Will. Hopefully he found some leads," she said. And so they made their way back to the water. Sure enough, they found Will talking to a shrimper.

"Guys! Good news. We have a heading!"

**HoL:TS**

_Pelegosto Island  
__August 14, 2010_

"There she is, Kai. The Black Pearl," Sora said with glee. It was beached at the moment, tethered down. The shrimper had gladly taken them here, free of charge, but would go no closer to the island and would not tell them why.

"My brother will take you all ashore," he said to them, knifing a block of wood. They hopped in the shaky rowboat and headed out on the sea, closing in on the Pearl. They continued like this for a bit when suddenly the man stopped. He spoke in a different language that they did not understand. This continued until they were forced to dive out into the water and swim to the shore. They climbed out of the water, soaking wet, and stood on the arid sand, letting the warm rays of the sun dry them.

"Jack! Cotton! Marty!" Will shouted at the top of his lungs, heading towards the jungle.

"Anybody?! JACK!" Sora shouted, joining him and Kairi. They soon found themselves wandering into the dense forest. The canopy above blocked out the sun, humidity striking them, along with mosquitoes and other bugs. The tangles and undergrowth were thick and patchy, ensnaring their legs and causing much irritation.

"Well this is just peachy," Kairi breathed sarcastically. They wandered around, searching for any clues when Will shouted for them. They rushed to him, as best as they could, to find that he had found a clue.

"Look, it's Cotton's parrot," he told them. The blue, yellow, and green bird fluttered and reared, talking all the while.

"Rarwk, don't eat me! Rarwk!" it screeched.

"We're not going to eat you," Sora said, perplexed.

"Rarwk! Don't eat me!" And then he flew away from them. They continued in the way he had flown from, slightly confused.

"Look guys!" Sora said, rushing ahead and grabbing a dangling object that was a canteen. He unscrewed it and smelled the contents. Rum.

"Gibbs," he told them. Then next to it was a line, a trail of sorts. Sora took the thick twine within his hands and followed it, Kairi and Will trailing him, eager to find the crew and Jack. They followed it into a small clearing where it suddenly ended. They were looking around when the trees came to life! Or so Sora thought until he realized that tribal natives had disguised themselves with paste, looking just like the environment they were hiding in. Suddenly, Sora, Kairi and Will were hoisted up by their ankles in a trap. They brandished their swords at the natives. Then, he felt a painful prick in his neck,and darkness followed.

**HoL:TS**

_Pelegosto Island  
__August 14, 2010_

"Wh- wha- what the hell is going on?" Sora mumbled groggily, his vision slowly returning. Sunlight struck his eyes, and sent him into a dizzying headache. He was bobbing up and down and his ankles and wrists were tied very tightly to a pole. The bristly rope was chaffing his wrists again and he felt very nauseated. He saw the natives carrying him on a pole and noticed that Will was ahead of him and Kairi behind him. He looked down with his peripheral vision and his heart thundered. They were over a shaky bridge that was above a drop of about a few miles. Kairi and Will were waking up, as well.

"Sora! What's going on?" Kairi asked fearfully. He tried to crane his neck for a better view of her.

"I- I don't know. Just wait. We'll be fine," he assured her, not really knowing. They were carried high into plateaus, bordered by mountains overlooking the lush forest and sea on a high bluff. It was a beautiful sight that he would have otherwise enjoyed. They winded through many trails and Sora soon forgot the path. They heard shouts and drumbeats growing ever louder and closer. They must have been coming up on the village. They stopped in front of a throne for their chieftain. It was none other than Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Kali kali te'en daga!" the natives that carried them said to Jack. He had ridiculous makeup on, a collection of eyes upon his cheeks. His hair had extra beads and he wore a necklace of human fingers and toes.

"Oh my. That's disgusting," Kairi exclaimed, looking away.

"Jack! Jack Sparrow! I can honestly say I'm glad to see you!" Will exclaimed, half laughing. The tranquilizer was still messing with him apparently. Jack's eyes shot to him, then to Sora and his look became slightly curious. "It's me, Will Turner! Sora is here to with his friend Kairi!"

"Ba se co!" Jack said to the natives. They were silent and then responded.

"Ji'in daga, izipi," they replied. Jack seemed to know what they meant.

"Tell them to let us down!" Sora told Jack, nearly pleading. He was starting to hurt and his wrists had begun to bleed.

"Ke'le lam. Lam peeky-peeky. Lam eensy-weensy," he said, motioning over Will. "Lam se, eunuchy. Snip-snip." Jack told them. They all bowed their heads in pity.

"Ah. . . eunuchy," they chanted.

"Jack! The compass. That's all we need. Elizabeth is in danger for trying to help you. She faces the gallows!" Will exclaimed. Jack stopped walking away from them, turned on his booted heel and walked back to them. He surveyed them and stroked his chin.

"Se'se lam shup shup sha, shmani lami shuku! Savvy? Ba liki liki!" he yelled out, throwing his arms outward.

"Ba liki liki!" they all screamed in unison. Jack then leaned in to them and spoke English.

"Save me!" he whispered, before going back to the throne.

"Jack! What did you tell them! Wait! NO!" Sora shouted as they were taken away. What were they going to do?

**HoL:TS**

_Port Royal  
__August 12, 2010_

As Sora and Kairi were sailing towards Tortuga with Will, Merideth sat in her cell with Elizabeth. The moon shone in through the barred windows and the passages reeked with the stench of other prisoners. The cell next to them was filled with grimy and greasy pirates, all different ages, but mainly old. They were whistling at her and Elizabeth, beckoning to come towards them. There was no way in hell that was happening.

"Come on. Be good girls. We don't bite!" they said sickeningly, their bony hands groping and stretching through the gaps in the bars. Merideth and Elizabeth sat on the far end of the wall. Then suddenly, a guard opened the door and Governor Swann burst through, looking frazzled and angry, his wig slightly askew.

"Girls, come quickly," Governor Swann said as he unlocked the cell and led them out, amid much relief to Merideth. They hurried out behind him, walking down the nighttime and torchlit corridor outside the prison.

"Tell us what is happening," Elizabeth demanded. Governor Swann stopped in his tracks and faced the two young women.

"My name still has some standing with the King. I have arrived passage to England," he told them bluntly.

"No. Will, Sora and Kairi have gone to find Jack and finish the deal with Lord Beckett," Merideth told him. He scrunched his nose and sighed.

"We cannot count on William Turner, Sora or even Jack," he told them, leading onward to a carriage.

"They are better men than you give them credit for," she said angrily. He led them into the carriage and slammed the door, climbing up on the bench as it set off.

Later into the night, Merideth and Elizabeth had stealthily sneaked away from Governor Swann and into the locked office of Lord Beckett. He was still there and had not seen them yet. He had noticed however that the letters of marque were gone.

"No doubt you have discovered that loyalty is no longer the currency of the realm, as your father tries to believe," Lord Beckett called out into the shadows in which they were hiding. They showed themselves now. His smug face looked amused.

"Then what is?" Merideth asked him. She felt the cold nip at her skin.

"Currency is the currency of the realm, now," he said. "And power. Maleficent has promised me power, but first I need to control Jones," he said.

"You know Maleficent!?" Merideth exclaimed.

"Of course. She is very wise and powerful. I find that I will have a very profitable future with her help," he said with a slight chuckle.

"Never mind this, I care to negotiate our freedom," she said.

"I'm listening," he said. Elizabeth drew a pistol and cocked it. Merideth nocked two arrows.

"I'm listening intently. Just remember: killing me would highly displease Maleficent," he reminded them. They negotiated and left him in the subtle night, in pursuit of Will, Sora and Kairi. But what did he want with Maleficent? And what did he mean about controlling Jones first?

**HoL:TS**

_Pelegosto Island  
__August 14, 2010_

Sora hung in a cage over a deep and beautiful ravine. Again, he would love and appreciate the nature and beauty of this island if it weren't for the given circumstances. He was in a spherical cage with Will, Kairi, Cotton, Gibbs, Marty and two others that he didn't know. In an identical cage about a hundred feet from them were six crewmen he also didn't know. Sora felt cramped in the cage and was definitely afraid, though it hadn't fallen yet.

"Sora, I'm starting to really not like this place," she told him, slumping against the cage, her legs dangling out of it.

"Sorry, Kai. I never thought this would happen," he told her with a goofy grin. She smiled at him and then listened to and joined the conversation between Gibbs and Will.

"But why would he do this to us, if he was made their chief?" Will asked. Gibbs sighed and scratched his whiskery beard. He was filthy, like all the pirates were. He and Kairi were starting to become the same way.

"Aye. The Pelegostos made Jack their chief, but he only remains chief if acts like one for and to them," Gibbs explained sadly. Well that made sense. Will's eyes became downcast.

"So, he has no choice then. He's a captive just like the rest of us," Sora said, defeat creeping up on him. Gibbs shook his head and stretched what muscles he could in the cage.

"No, no, he has it much worse," Gibbs explained. "See, the Pelegostos believe Jack is a god in human form, and they intend to do him the honor of releasing him from his fleshy prison. They'll roast him and eat him," Gibbs said with wide eyes.

"Ugh! Why is this world so disgusting?" Kairi complained.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Sora asked.

"Well, see these cages? Well, they weren't made til _after_ we got here," he answered grimly, his face pale.

"Oh for god's—" Kairi turned around and vomited out of a hole in the bone cage. Sora felt his own stomach turn, but nothing more. He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to placate her. She stopped and just sat there, not moving as she felt too exhausted. Gibbs continued.

"Once those drums stop, the feast will begin. Jack's life ends with the drums," he said.

"Well we just can't sit here and wait, can we?" Sora asked.

"Well what do you suggest we do?" Gibbs asked him. Sora broke out in a huge smile.

**HoL:TS**

"No! Oi! No, no! Big fire! BIG fire! More wood! I am chief. More wood, me want big fire!" Jack shouted at the Pelegostos. They understood him by his flailing of arms, representing the large flames. While they were busy, he sneaked away and ran to another part of the village, looking for a way back to the Pearl. He ran into a hut and found many things, many supplied by the East India Trading Company. He ran back out and found that the natives had followed him. He laughed meekly and they seized him roughly, and tied him.

They tied him up like that had Will and Sora. "Oh bugger," he muttered as they put him over the fire pit like a spit roast. They had added tremendous amounts of wood.

"Good job," he muttered sarcastically. _Sora, Will. I need you guys right about now._

**HoL:TS**

"And forward!" Sora shouted. For the past five minutes they had been swinging the bone cages like large swing sets from back home. They swung back and forth, amid the terror of Kairi. The other crew members in the second cage had caught on to the what the thought was. Soon, they were all swinging, using their combined weight to add momentum and swing toward the cliff's rocky face. There, the plan was to grab the roots and thick vines and climb steadily to the top of the bluff. All the while, trying not to die.

"Come on lads! We're getting close!" Gibbs shouted. Sora reached out with Gibbs and Will to grab at the vines. They were just a meter or two away.

"And back! Now. . . forward!" Sora shouted. They leaned as far forwards as possible. The vines grazed their fingers and they almost grabbed them. Just a little bit more.

"One last time lads!" Gibbs roared. The ravine swayed beneath. They closed in, inertia taking over. They reached out and grabbed hold. All the guys and Kairi grabbed the vines and started climbing.

"Come on, guys. Let's climb! Put your backs and legs into it!" Sora ordered. He was still in disbelief that his idea was still working. The other cage had grabbed hold as well. They started their slow ascent.

"Don't look down, lads!" Gibbs yelled. The vines were rough and damp in his hands as he sweated, beads rolling down his face. He exerted his muscles and racked his legs. The combined effort was barely enough for them all, but they slowly made progress. The thought of death kept them going. Gibbs was looking around, craning his neck when he suddenly hushed them and made them stop. He pointed to the nearby bridge where a local was keeping patrol. The others stopped.

"Stop! If we get caught, it's over!" Will said to the other cage.

"Well, not all of us would be needed. Only six are really needed to crew the Pearl," one of the members said in the other cage. The same thought struck everyone at the same time. This just became a race against the others. The other ball started climbing again, not caring about the Pelegosto. Sora cursed on the inside as he watched them climb. Then, one of them let out a scream. Sora's head whipped that way and saw that one of them had grabbed a venomous snake. They all panicked and let go, flying down the ravine, snapping the cord and into the depths to their death.

Sora's muscles were screaming in pain as they continued to stall there. The local had noticed them because of the fall. He ran off towards the drumbeats.

"CLIMB!" Gibbs boomed. Everyone doubled their effort. Sora was sweating in places he didn't know he could sweat and using muscles he never had before. They were picking the pace up. His hair was now lank and falling down. He had to whip it out of his face to continue seeing ahead of himself. They were very close to the top now.

"One last effort!" Sora yelled. They all climbed up and over and broke free from the gravity and onto land. Sora just fell limp, letting his muscles relax and cool down.

"Cut the rope!" Kairi shouted. "Find a rock!" They did cut the rope, but now the cannibals were rushing that way, weapons in hand. Spears were flying their way, whistling through the air alongside arrows. They all scrambled into a standing position.

"Roll the cage!" Sora shouted, pushing forward. They all did the same and it slowly began to roll forward just like a hamster ball. They continued to do this away from the Pelegostos. Sora, and no doubt the others, kept hitting large rocks and roots, banging himself up with bruises and cuts. They rolled, gathering speed and then fell over a steep drop. The cage now rolled of its own volition, sending them hurtling into the sides, slamming against rocks, roots, and bumps. Sora grunted in pain as they rolled all around, until they finally came upon two trees, ascending them, and then back down. They slammed with a final thud into the hard earth. Everyone muttered and grunted, covered in all sorts of minor injuries. The cannibals were still hot on their trail.

"Lift the cage!" Sora barely managed to say.

"Hoist it like a lady's skirt!" Gibbs ordered. Everyone lifted it as such, much to their muscles' protest. Marty was completely lifted off the ground as they all hitched the cage up and ran as best as they could from the the Pelegostos. The high grass scratched their legs and they tripped multiple times over debris of the jungle. After some time, they fell over a bluff and down a long and deep chasm. The cage broke apart when it hit the water. Everyone swam as fast as they could manage to take cover from the projectiles. Just as they were about to receive another volley, the Pelegostos left them alone.

Sora burst into hysteric laughter. "Well that was fun," he said painfully, fighting the pains in his sides. He healed everyone in the vicinity. It took a toll on his energy, but an ether fixed that.

"To the Pearl!" Will shouted.

In due time, they had made it to the Pearl. Sora noticed that a mortal Pintel and Ragetti were casting off the Pearl.

"Haul loose the mooring line! The mooring line!" Pintel shouted up at Ragetti. Ragetti was scrambling after Jack the Monkey who had his glass eye.

"Ah. Our work's half done!" Gibbs said happily. The crew shouted in jubilee and started climbing the Pearl. Will stopped in the high tide.

"What about Jack!? I'm not leaving him behind!" he shouted as the crew finished preparations for the Pearl. Then they all stopped as savage yelling and screaming met their ears. Around a bend on the end farthing of the beach, Jack could be seen running for his life just like they had been. Everyone's smiles disappeared as they saw that then entire cannibalistic tribe was following him.

"Time to go!" Will said, running and climbing swiftly up the Pearl's side ropes. Jack was shouting at them to wait as the Pearl kicked off into the sea. Sora helped Kairi up onto the deck and they slumped down together against the railing, glad to be sitting again.

"My children! You shall all remember this day as the day you almost—SPLASH! Jack was cutoff as a large wave drenched him, soaking him to the bone with cold sea water. "Captain Jack Sparrow," he finished dejectedly. He climbed up to meet the crew.

"Let's put some distance between us and that island and head out to open sea!" Gibbs said, thankful to be away from the Pelegostos. Jack still looked terrified.

"Yes to the first, yes to the second, but only insofar as we keep to the shallows as much as possible," he said, confusedly, as usual. Sora stood up and walked to his friend.

"That seems to be a contradictory, captain," Sora told him with a smile on his face.

"Ah! Sora! It's great to see you again. And is that your young lass over there?" he asked, arching an eyebrow to Kairi.

"She's not mine, but she is my friend," Sora told him.

"Ah, I see," he said, surveying them with wide and dazed eyes. "Here to bring me that blade of yours?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Nope. I'm here to help Will," Sora replied.

"Still, I have faith in all of you. But were is that damned monkey? I want to shoot something!" Jack yelled in bottled up anger.

"Jack!" Will shouted, running to him.

"Ah, hello young William," he replied, heading for the captain's wheel.

"Elizabeth is in danger," he told him.

"Ever thought about keeping a better eye on her or locking her up?" Jack replied absently.

"She is locked up in a prison, bound to hang for helping you!" Will retorted angrily. "I need that compass of yours. To trade for her freedom." Jack eyed Gibbs and his eyes shot open in realization.

"Mr. Gibbs. We have a need to travel upriver," he said quietly. Gibbs' eyes became wide with fear.

"By need do you mean trifling need? A fleeting or passing fancy?" he asked shakily.

"No. An unyielding need," Jack replied resolutely. Then he faced Will and Sora.

"I will you trade you this compass if, in return, you help me find this," he said to them, pulling out a cloth with a drawing of a key on it. Sora gazed at it confusedly.

"You want me to find this?" Will asked incredulously.

"No. You want you to find this. Because the finding of this finds you incapacitorially finding and or locating in your discovering the detecting of a way to save your dolly belle, what's-her-face. Savvy?" Jack explained slyly and very weirdly. Sora had trouble keeping up with the whole monologue.

"This is going to save Elizabeth?" Sora asked.

"Just how much to you two know about Davy Jones?" Jack asked very seriously.

"Not much," they both answered.

"Then yes, it will save Elizabeth," Jack replied.

**HoL:TS**

_Edinburgh Trader  
__August 13, 2010_

Merideth sat moodily on a sea-slime covered barrel. Not only was she on a ship full of disgusting men, save Elizabeth, she was also forced to wear men clothing to stay in a guise until they reached Tortuga. Elizabeth's wedding gown had accidentally been found, and two of the crew members were fighting over it, both looking worried about it. They had caused a scene, and now almost all the crewmen were surrounding the two as they tug-o-warred over the dress. Then the captain, Bellamy, strode over, fuming.

"What's all this!?" he shouted at them, making them stop the quarreling. "If you both fancy the dress, you will have to take turns and share it," Bellamy said, gaining a heartly round of laughter from all the men.

"It's not like that, sir. The ship is haunted," the first man said.

"Oh is it? How?" Bellamy asked, humoring the men.

"There is a female presence on the ship. All the men can feel it," the other man said. All the crewmen mumbled their agreements.

"I say we throw it overboard and hope she follows it!" one man said.

"No, that'll anger it," another one said.

"Now, listen, all of you!" Bellamy shouted, his anger growing. Merideth walked to Elizabeth, who was staining a beam. "This appears to be nothing more but a stowaway on board. Just find her. And she's probably naked, too," he said.

All the men scattered, looking for the woman, Merideth and Elizabeth joining them to keep the ruse up. _We're coming, guys. Just hold on._

**HoL:TS**

_Upriver  
__August 15, 2010_

Sora sat in a longboat with Kairi, Will, Jack, Gibbs and the rest of the crew. It was low in the water of the swamp. The marsh was depressing and misty. Dense jungle surrounded them as the boat crept steadily forward through the swampy river. Frogs croaked and crickets chirped, keeping the steady cadence of dark nature. Kairi sat close to Sora as the approached the mysterious shack of Tia Dalma.

"Why is Jack so afraid of the open ocean?" Sora asked Gibbs as they sailed ever so slowly. He wiped his face, slapped a bug on his neck and took a deep breath.

"Well, if you believe such things, there's a beast that does the evil bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature with giant tentacles that'll suction your face clean off, and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness. The Kraken," he said dramatically. Sora felt fear seep into him a bit. This sounded like a creature he did not want to meet, ever.

"They say the stench of its breath. . . Imagine. The last thing you know on god's green earth is the roar of the Kraken reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses," he said. He had captivated those that were listening.

"If you believe such things," he repeated. Sora shuddered as he sat down with Kairi again.

"How are you feeling, Kairi?" he asked her. She shrugged. She had not been in the best of moods since they had arrived.

"I still hurt and feel really bad. I just want to be back home," she said, on the verge of tears. Then Sora, sucking up his courage, put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug, placating her the best he could with just the action. She returned the hug and they shared that moment for just small time. All worries disappeared for a fraction of a minute before they let go of each other, returning to the real world.

"And the key will help Jack?" Will asked.

"That's the question he want's answered. Even enough to go to. . . her."

Later that night. . .

They had passed by many eerie and creepy sites of animals and people, all shrouded and lit by candles. There was an unnatural chill in the swamp as the boat silently continued. The water barely stirred and a thick tension permeated in the air. The shack came into view.

"No worries, mates. Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are," Jack said, somewhat fearfully.

"We've got your back,"Gibbs said to him.

"It's me front I'm worried about," he answered back. "Man the boat," he said to Gibbs.

"Man the boat," to Will.

"Man the boat," to Sora.

"Man the boat," to Kairi.

"Man the boat," to Pintel.

"Man the boat," to Ragetti.

"Man the boat," to Marty.

"Man the boat," to Cotton's parrot.

"Man the boat," to Cotton.

They all entered Tia's shack. All around the room were many oddities. Most things were in transparent jars. All sorts of organs, beads, and random objects adorned the walls. She appeared from out of a room. Tia was black with darker hair, fashioned in dreadlocks. She wore all sorts of jewelry and wore a charming yet intimidating smile. Sora felt lesser to her, as if she were some higher being.

"Jack Sparrow," she said in a thick and alluring accent.

"Tia Dalma," he retorted.

"I always knew the wind was going to blow you back to me one day," she said with a smile. Then she looked at Will.

"You have a touch of destiny, you do William Turner," she said. Sora was shocked, wide'eyed at how she could even possibly know Will's name.

"You know me?" he asked.

"Do you want to know me?" she replied. "And you two. You two are otherworldly, you are. I nothing of you two," she said mysteriously to Sora and Kairi. They felt weak under her gaze.

"I- I'm Sora and this is Kairi," he said shakily.

"We came here for help, and we're not leaving without it," Jack said assertively. "There shall be no knowing here."

"What service is needed? I do demand payment," she said in a more formal tone, retreating behind her counter.

"And we brought payment," Jack said. He held up a cage with Jack the Monkey in it. He took his pistol and shot it. It screeched but was unharmed.

"An undead monkey. Beat that!" he said, laying the cage before her. She opened it up and let the monkey loose.

"The payment is fair," she said.

"We are looking for this," Will said, showing her the drawing of the key. She was shocked and confused.

"They compass you bartered from me. It cannot lead you to this?" she questioned.

"Maybe. . ." Jack said hesitantly.

"Oh. Jack Sparrow doesn't know what he wants. Or maybe you do and don't want to claim it? The key go to a chest. And it what be in the chest you seek, don't it?" she asked them.

"And what is inside?" Gibbs asked eagerly.

"Jewels? Gold? Unclaimed properties of treasure?" Sora piped up hopefully. Kairi shot him a glare but smiled at his childishness.

"You know of Davy Jones, yes? A man of the sea. A great sailor. Until he ran afoul of which vexes all men," she said bitterly.

"A woman," Jack said knowingly. Sora thought that wouldn't vex men, but maybe they could.

"A woman," Tia repeated. "Him fell in love with a woman," she said.

"I thought it was the sea he fell in love with?" Gibbs said. Sora was latching onto every word. He loved stories.

"Same thing, different versions, all are true. See, it was a woman as changing as the harsh and in-tameable sea. Him never stopped loving her. But the pain it caused him was too much to live with but not enough for him to die," Tia explained to them all.

"What exactly did he put in the chest?" Kairi asked.

"Him heart," she replied with a small smile. "He carved it out, locked it in a chest and now keeps the key on him at all times. And not even your Keyblades can unlock this chest," she said to Sora and Kairi.

"How did you know—" Sora was asking but she hushed him.

"Well now we know. Best be off," Jack said, turning around to leave.

"Let me see your hand," she said with authority, standing up. Jack stopped and reluctantly held out a bandaged hand. She unwrapped it and a black mark was seen.

"Black Spot!" Gibbs cried, wiping his chest, turning and spitting on the ground, followed by Pintel and Ragetti.

"I have just the thing," she said, leaving and rummaging through another room. She came back and handed him a jar of dirt.

"This is a jar of dirt," he said. "Will it help?"

"If you don't want it, give it back," she answered.

"No," he answered, holding it dear to him.

"Then it helps," she replied with a smile.

"It seems we have a need to find the Flying Dutchman," Sora said to her. She smiled and brought out broken bones. She rustled them in her hands and chanted to them, then finally spilling them onto the counter saying:

"A touch of destiny!"

**HoL:TS**

_I'ltorien  
__July 18, 2010_

Hot tears streamed down One's face, evaporating moments after leaving her dilated eyes. Tibarn breathed heavily on the ground below her, several burn marks across his entire body, along with deep lacerations. He wasn't even in hawk form anymore. She? Her head was about to burst out, or so she thought. She had to push her other self-back and lock her away forcefully, which was the mental equivalent of pulling a deranged tiger of its pray and have it claw at you at every step while you put it back in its cage. Her own gash on the left side of her neck proved that, as her other persona had self-inflicted that in retaliation. Still, it had paid off, as her right hand, now fuming and returning to normal had dug its way deep into. . . the earth right next to Tibarn's neck. It was going for the throat. As she sat there, crying, Ike slowly woke up to see the girl pour her feelings out.

"Please. . . please don't make me. . . don't LET me do this! Please, please. . . I. . . I lost the only people I cared about. My best friend got murdered trying to get me out and the one I called a sister got forced into being a soldier for what she WAS, not what she believed in. I am alone. I'm going to have to fight her. I just want to. . . I just want to set things right. I want to save her and I want to make the Emperor stop. . . to make him pay. Pay for ruining thousands of lives inside that facility. Millions outside. I am on your side. . ." she looked at her hands and cringed, seeing her gloves had vanished with the steam, as had her entire garments.

"Maybe I'm what you say. Maybe I'm a monster. But you need monsters to fight monsters. I will fight for you. Just. . ." Tibarn covered her mouth and shook his head.

"Monster, you? Give me a break," he cringed as he forced himself up, but he took One out of his chest and did it anyways. "You have seen monsters, girl. You should know better. What you are ain't a monster," as One knelt there, she could only look up, in shock and awe at Tibarn's sincere expression. Despite his wings, he skillfully removed his green trench coat and laid it on her now bare shoulders. "You're as much of a 'monster' as we are. And I take offense to that," he gave her a snarky smile as he took her hand and raised her to her feet. "Now chin up, I have something to give you!" One took a step back but did what he demanded.

The Hawk King reached for his feather necklace and removed it, hanging hit above One's neck. As it came down, Tibarn explained:

"Those who wear this necklace are considered to be of the same flock as the Hawk King. No one tribe in Mìelthrì will not think thrice before even attempting to insult you, let alone harm you. For that means war with the Hawks. Unless you find yourself surrounded by Ravens, one look of this necklace will send them reeling back," he explained, smiling knowingly as he put it on One, who was simply speechless. "Now, I know you are going to deny it and say you aren't worth it. But YOU defeated me in a duel. You are strong. I admire strength. I saw your heart in that fight. When you stopped your final blow. And it is purer than mine actually. And for that, you are one of my own. . . Christina," he said, winking as he did. One, or should We say, Christina, yelped loudly and took a step back, muttering a 'how'. To which Tibarn responded: "The eyes of the Hawk King see all. The ears listen to what's left," before turning to Ike. "No hard feelings, huh?"

"Give me a rematch on my terms and I'll make it so," Ike coughed, rubbing his neck. Tibarn laughed heartily and nodded.

"Well then, let's get this trip over with. I shall have a banquet to tell everyone of this battle!" Tibarn exclaimed, transforming into his hawk form. "Into the wild blue yonder!"

Knowing better than annoying Tibarn, Christina and Ike nodded at each other, leaving any questions for later and grabbed onto the feathers of the king as he shot into the blue skies.

It did not take long for them to take sight of the fort. It was then that a very strange but wanted feeling entered into Christina's heart. Because, as she saw it, for the first time in her life, she saw a place, not a group of people, that she could say it loud a proud. . . that it was a place she belonged to.

* * *

TUH: All Hail Lord Goomy.

TN: *sigh* If this continues, chapter 12 may be forever away. . .

TUH: Swaglamence.

TN:Anyway, teaser, anyone?

TEASER

And as he knelt there on the deck, the rain pelting his bare and exposed back, all sound in the world vanished.

And then he heard the high, whining whistle of the whip.

He heard the crack of flesh parting.

And he heard his screams rip from his vocal chords as the leather fell from his mouth.

Righteous white fire filled his vision. . .

TEASER END

TUH: *Goes back to Pokémon X* Cya... whenever... goomy goomy goomy.

TN: Hey readers! I love you all. Herald loves you, too! Thank you so much for everything you have done for us. All the support! We can't thank you enough. But we can give you this. . .

Chapter XII: Reunion and Sacrifice  
Let the build up for SoKai begin. . .

* * *

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


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